So Caught Up In You
by csivegasrocks
Summary: GSR all the way. A little angst, but no CD. Another story about how Grissom and Sara got together. A little AU/OOC but it has a real CSI story line. Greggo and Nicky help out! Please read and review! Adventure on the high seas! M for sweet smut later.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

So Caught Up in You

Welcome to my vivid imagination's next story about Grissom and Sara. I promise some adventure, GSR, and a little sweet smut. I hope you enjoy. And keep me motivated by sending reviews! The more reviews, the more motivated I am to write! Recommend me to your friends! I love all the feedback I can get!

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7 Days Earlier

"Thanks for calling Royal Norway Cruise Lines, my name is Jerri, how can I help you?"

The call center for the cruise line was busy because of the impending initiation cruise on the newest cruise line Empress Alayna. The computers had been down for two days and customers were going crazy trying to confirm their reservations.

"Jerri, this is Mrs. Grant, and I want to speak to your supervisor" came the angry voice in Jerri's ear. It wasn't the first time she had heard this today.

"Sure Mrs. Grant, do you mind if I pull up your reservation first so I can get you to the right supervisor," she lied, "Our supervisors all have different responsibilities."

"Yes, that's fine, my reservation number is 56223498 and its under John Grant, Dr John Grant, my husband."

"Sure Mrs. Grant, one sec,' she said in her sweetest voice, trying to calm the angry woman down.

"OK thanks Mrs. Grant, I have your reservation up, what seems to be the problem?"

"Look you little bitch," Mrs. Grant raged, "I told you to put your damn supervisor on the phone. If I had wanted to talk to a flunky like you, I could go to McDonald's. Now get your lazy ass up out of your chair and get the supervisor so I can have an intelligent conversation!"

"Mrs. Grant," Jerri said, nervously, "I can't allow you to speak to me like that… its simply unprofessional and unacceptable."

"Are you having trouble understanding English? I am the wife of Dr. John Grant of Massachusetts and if you don't put your damn supervisor on the phone NOW I will sue you personally and your company. Now do as you are told!"

"Please hold!" Jerri asked as she dropped the caller on hold.

Jerri stood up and summoned her supervisor Peggy to help her. Peggy came immediately over to where Jerri stood and asked what was going on?

"Peggy, this woman is screaming and swearing at me, demanding to speak to you!" she explained.

"No problem honey, go ahead and transfer the call to my extension," Peggy replied as she walked to her desk and logged in to her computer.

Jerri's number popped up on Peggy's extension and she answered the call. Jerri explained what had transpired and Mrs. Grant's threats to sue the company if she failed to do as she was told. Peggy, understanding how frustrating this type of abuse can be, tried to calm her young employee down.

"Hey Jerri, don't forget, there are a lot of unhappy people in the world. Just thank God you don't have to go home to one of them!" and with that, Jerri transferred Mrs. Grant to Peggy's extension.

LATER THAT DAY

Peggy saw Jerri walking out of the office, she still looked upset. Peggy stopped her and inquired as to whether her day had gotten better?

"No, that woman really ticked me off!" she replied. "But I'll get over it!" she added. Quickly. Maybe too quickly.

"Hey it comes with the job!" Peggy counseled the younger woman, "Don't take it home!"

Jerri agreed that she would not take it home, but she patted her pocket as she walked out into the warm Miami air.

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Gil Grissom, Sara Sidle, Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes arrived at the Miami International Airport on time, and ready for their adventure.

Greg almost bounced to the baggage carousel, extremely excited about his luck.

Grissom, as the head of the shift with the highest solve rate in the country on bug related crimes, had been asked to present information to a large gathering of recently promoted criminal investigators from the FBI in Virginia at a week-long conference aboard the Empress Alayna.

Thankfully, Grissom was given funding to bring three people with him to assist in his presentation and to help with the experiments and workstations that needed to be set up.

Naturally Nick and Sara would be going. But Greg was sure Catherine would be the third person to go. Fortunately for Greg, Catherine had previous commitments that she could not get out of, and, truth be told, she really didn't want to leave Lou for a whole week. Not when things were so tenuous with their relationship. Catherine made her excuses, claiming Lindsay had school issues and suggested to Grissom that Greg would be excited for the opportunity.

Excited didn't come anywhere near capturing Greg's reaction.

"Florida and the Caribbean?" he asked. "Let me think about it for a while, Yes!"

Nick and Sara were also excited, but much more subdued than Greg. They all retrieved their luggage and found the chauffer holding the name "Dr. Grissom" on a cardboard sign near the taxi entrance.

"Dr. Grissom," the chauffer said, "I'm Scott and I'm here to take you to the port."

"Thank you Scott!" Grissom replied, "We are all here and ready to go!"

"Do you have any additional bags for your presentations?" Scott asked.

"No, they were all shipped ahead, so our personal luggage is all we have!" Grissom advised.

They followed Scott out to the black stretch limo, depositing their bags in the trunk, and getting ready for their adventure.

Scott had put out a bottle of champagne and four glasses, telling them to help themselves, courtesy of the cruise line, revealing that they were now considered VIPs of the cruise line and to expect only the best.

Grissom smiled at his crew. They were in for a treat.

Little did he know, he was in for a treat too!

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OK I know this premise is a little unusual, but I have a plan to take you on a seven-day romance cruise! Stay with me! And please click the little blue button and let me know what you think! I take suggestions too! All call center employees are fictional… yes I work in a call center, but all characters are fictional!


	2. Chapter 2

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 2

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

The boarding process was made very easy for them. They followed Scott to the VIP entrance at the port and boarded the ship. Their luggage had been taken from them to be moved to their cabins and they were quickly whisked to the boarding area. Their passports had been checked and their room keys issued with the standard warning that this was also their chargecard and not to loose it!

Sara looked over at Greg and whispered "Do you need a lanyard so you can keep track of it? I think they have them in the kids club!"

Nick chuckled while Greg made a face at Sara, just behind Grissom's back so he couldn't be seen. He had been warned to be on his very best behavior as a representative of the city of Las Vegas.

The steward walked them up the hallway to the ship and across the covered gangway to the deck of the ship. They were met by a well-dressed concierge who introduced herself as Lisa.

"Welcome aboard Dr Grissom and staff! We are so excited to have you aboard!" she bubbled. "Let me show you to your cabins."

They followed Lisa through the doors and into the lobby of the grand ship. There was a bar and a casino on the first level, several shops, and a tall glass elevator in the center of everything.

Lisa led them through the lobby to the elevator and took them to the 10th floor. "We have some very nice rooms for you" Lisa said as she indicating to the interesting points as they walked on towards their rooms.

Lisa stopped just slightly ahead of them and opened the first door. "Gentlemen," she indicated to Greg and Nick, "This is your cabin."

Greg and Nick tried to enter the door at the same time, but the door was thin, so finally Greg deferred to Nick and let him get through first. "I get the bed by the window," Greg yelled out.

Surprisingly, the room had not only a window, but a balcony. Greg sat on the bed nearest the door and flopped down onto the pillows.

"OK Greggo," Nick responded, "but if you snore, you're sleeping on the deck!"

"Dr. Grissom, Ms Sidle, if you will follow me, you are next!" Lisa instructed.

Sara looked at Grissom, raised an eyebrow and stated, "I hope you don't think we are sharing a cabin Griss!" Actually, she thought to herself, that would be kind of awesome, but she was sure that the old-fashioned Grissom was not going to place them in any controversy by putting them in the same room. And anyhow, she knew she couldn't control herself if he did.

The next room was Sara's. Lisa opened the door to reveal a king-sized bed and another beautiful balcony all waiting for Sara. There was a desk on one side, a small sofa, a tv, and a fairly good sized bathroom for a small cabin.

When she walked in, she noticed that there was an adjoining door between her room and the neighbor. A moment later, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it to find one Gilbert Grissom on the other side, smiling, slightly reddened in the face, but trying not show how satisfied he was at this coincidence.

Lisa left her personal cellular number for the investigators and reminded them that if they needed anything at all, she was there to help them.

Grissom tried to offer her a tip, but Lisa politely declined, and stated that her services had been taken care of by the agency.

Shortly after, their suitcases and packages were delivered to their cabins. Greg and Nick decided to go explore the ship, while Sara and Grissom stayed behind to unpack the materials for the lecture tomorrow. There were two days at sea prior to arriving at the port of St Thomas in the Virgin Islands. The days would be busy, filled with lectures and labs, but the evenings would be free for them to do as they wished. Sara's work ethic kicked in and, alongside her boss, they unpacked and organized the books, bugs and photos.

Grissom brought out his computer and plugged it in to the outlet nearest the desk. He brought up his email and found a message from Catherine waiting for him.

"Oh, I have an email from Catherine already!" he said to Sara.

He began to read it, and then wished he had not announced that he had a message.

To: Gil Grissom

Fr: Catherine Willows

Re: Neighbors

How do you like your cabin? I hear that adjoining rooms are a great way to meet women! Now, don't waste this opportunity!

Make your move!

Love Catherine and Jim

"What is she up to emailing you already?" Sara asked.

"Well, nothing really, just checking to make sure we got in all right," he answered.

"That was thoughtful!" Sara replied, knowing full well that he was hiding something!

The quiet was disturbed by heavy handed banging on the cabin door. Sara walked over and opened the door to Nick and Greg who were clearly enjoying their afternoon.

"Man we found a buffet with all you can eat anything on the front of this deck!" Nick announced.

"And people walking around carrying drinks that you can have while you are walking around! Just like Freemont Street!" Greg added.

Just at that moment, the open door between the two rooms caught both of their eyes. They looked at each other and began to laugh. They could tell this was making Sara uncomfortable, which made the situation even funnier.

"So, um, Griss," Greg started, "Did you tip Lisa to get the adjoining room with Sara?"

Nick shoved him in the arm. "Well," Greg said, "I'm just saying!"

DOWN BELOW AT THE GANGWAY

"Mrs. Grant, please let us handle your husband's wheelchair!" the cabin steward said. Mrs. Grant, an older, and peculiar looking woman, was trying to commandeer the chair so that she could steer her husband to the 13th deck to their suite.

"Dr. Grant requires that I be in charge of his wheelchair," she demanded.

The steward looked at Dr. Grant and calmly explained "Dr. Grant, I need to drive the chair so we can get past the crowd. Will that be ok with you?"

"Certainly," Dr. Grant replied. He clearly was a more polite person than his wife.

They were taken to their suite and the attendant came to introduce herself.

"Good afternoon!" she said brightly in her Jamaican lilt. "I'm Andrea and I'm your suite attendant!"

"Surely you can find some cleaner linens for such an important guest," was Mrs. Grant's only response.

"Marilyn, please tone down your attitude with this young woman," Dr. Grant instructed her.

"Well dear, you are an important man, and you deserve to be treated with respect!" she replied.

Clearly seeing that her timing was not good, Marilyn left her card with her number and assured Mrs. Grant she would bring clean linens immediately.

"Where in the world do they get such incompetent help?" Mrs. Grant asked no one in particular.

"Please relax dear," Dr. Grant requested, "this is supposed to be our vacation."

"Well, once we get settled in, I guess I will be able to relax. But until those linens get here, do not lay on that bed!" she demanded.

BACK ON THE GANGWAY

As the last of the guests were being ushered onboard, the last call was for the employees who were going to travel on a space-available basis. Jerri Smoak was the third person allowed to board.

She smiled to herself as she made her way to the lower floors of the ship, to an inside cabin with one bed. "No worries," she thought, "I'm not here for the view."

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Duh-duh-duh. The plot thickens! Hey think about this, the next time you call a call center and speak rudely to the employee, remember how much of your personal information they have – you may find them on your next vacation!


	3. Chapter 3

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 3

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

By 4 pm, the ship was underway. As they pulled out from the port of Miami, sliding past Star Island and all of the big apartments that sit on Miami Beach, the four investigators found themselves on the top deck, drink in hand, and waving at the people who had come to see their friends and family off.

As they looked up the beach towards the north of the city, they were surprised to see a bi-plane flying over. The advertisement behind it said "Good luck on your Maiden Voyage!"

Nick and Greg suggested that they go find the buffet again so that they could eat some more. Grissom and Sara agreed to go with them.

They walked back down to the 10th floor and found the Skyview Buffet. The view from the front of the boat was stunning. They picked a table by the window and Greg and Nick went up to the buffet line. When they came back, their plates loaded, they settled and Grissom and Sara proceeded to the buffet to find their lunch.

Sara, pleased with the huge vegetarian selection, grabbed her lunch and a big piece of chocolate cake, and made her way back to the table. Grissom joined her a few moments later with a big slice of roast beef, mashed potatoes and corn. He looked at her and sincerely asked, "Are you ok with me having this plate next to you?"

"Yes Grissom, just because I'm a vegetarian, doesn't mean you have to be!" she smiled. She was accustomed to the way the men she worked with ate. She had only been a vegetarian for a couple of years – since that experiment with Grissom – and she was very tolerant of other people's choices. Plus, she wouldn't mind if Grissom ate bugs, it didn't change her feelings for him.

They sat and ate, discussing the events scheduled for tomorrow and the plans for the evening coming up.

They were excited to see the ice skating show and Greg was dying to get to the casino to play the penny slots.

"Greg, you are a smart man, why would you think you can play and win in the casino?" Sara asked him.

"Man, its not about winning, its just about the play," Greg replied, "and the hot chicks that hang out there!"

"I'm in!" said Nick.

Sara and Grissom looked at the two and smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you two are planning on so much fun, but remember we do have work to do!" Sara reminded them.

They walked from the 10th floor restaurant to the ship's shopping arcade. The crowd was bustling in and out of the shops.

"Well, I think we have some work to get done before dinner," Sara said to her companions, "Especially if we are going to see the show afterwards!"

"Why don't you guys go back and get the materials and meet me in the library," Grissom instructed, "I have a meeting with the conference coordinator in ten minutes and I will meet you there in about an hour."

"Grissom," Nick replied, "All the material is in your room. We need you to come back and let us in to get it."

"Nah," Greg added, "Remember, Sara has the key."

"OK Greg, that's enough," Grissom said in his best supervisor voice, "You have work to do!"

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Dr. and Mrs. Grant sat by the private pool reserved for guests in the suites. The area was card-key access only and was attended by a butler and concierge during most business hours.

The doorway leading to the suites was hidden if you didn't know what you were looking for. Jerri knew what she was looking for. She flashed her identification at the cabin steward and was granted admission to the exclusive floor.

Jerri didn't make her presence known to the Grants or any of their companions. She observed them from the window onto the pool area. Dr. Grant was seated in his wheelchair, watching the others swimming in the small pool.

Without being noticed, Jerri made her way to the Grant's cabin and pushed the door open. The cabin attendant was in the back of the suite, cleaning the bathrooms, so she didn't notice the intruder entering the room. Jerri took a quick glance around the suite, setting to memory how the room was laid out, where the bathroom was in relation to the bedroom, and how the balcony connected to the next room. As she heard the toilet flush, she slid back out the door, down the stairs and to the elevator towards her room to plan her next steps.

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Nick, Greg, and Sara were in the library sorting through their experimental materials and getting things ready for the presentation the next day. Nick had begun to learn more about insects, so he was ready to be involved in this presentation with his mentor. Greg, however, seemed to be more concerned about Sara's room.

"But really, Sar, adjoining rooms?" he asked. All three of them were aware of Sara's love of Grissom. They often went out drinking after work, and more often than not, comforted Sara when Grissom had been an asshole to her.

Greg and Nick, each in his own way, was pretty sure that Grissom reciprocated the feelings towards Sara, but also knew Grissom well enough to know that they needed to keep their thoughts to themselves on this matter.

With Sara, on the other hand, they made their feelings known.

"Greg, its just a coincidence," she scolded, "Grissom would never do that. You and I both know that for a fact."

"I don't know, Sara," Nick chimed in, "Seems to me to be pretty convenient!"

"Enough you two!" she demanded, embarrassed slightly by the innuendo.

As the words left her mouth, Grissom walked in.

"How's it going team?" he asked.

They all looked at him, back to each other, and laughed.

"Did I miss something?" Grissom asked.

"Just Greg talking about what he saw near the pool," Sara covered.

"Greg, remember what I said about behaving this week!" Grissom reminded him.

With the four of them working together in a comfortable rhythm, the work was done within an hour and they found themselves heading back to their rooms.

Dinner was set at 8 pm, leaving them less than 30 minutes to dress and get to their assigned restaurant and table.

The first dinner was causal; so all four wore jeans and a nice shirt. Sara thought about wearing her black heels, but decided that she was tall enough standing next to Grissom. She unlocked the adjoining door and knocked softly on Grissom's door. He opened the door, smiling appreciatively at the woman before him. Even in jeans, she was gorgeous. Her smile, her hair, everything about her figure made the blood rush to his feet. Or maybe it was somewhere else.

He had tried so hard, for so long, to hide his feelings for her. They had been friends for a long time and he knew that he was way too old for her. Catherine and Jim had both told him, repeatedly, that she hid feelings for him, he could almost see it, but he was in denial. She was so young, smart, and beautiful. How could she have feelings for him? Just not possible.

"You look great Sara!" he was able to manage. The dark purple shirt and matching necklace offset her brown eyes.

"Hey you don't clean up so bad yourself!" she replied. His dark blue polo set off the sparkle in his blue eyes. "Just seeing if you are ready to go," she explained.

"Yes, lets head down. Greg and Nick said they would meet us there!" he said. They closed the adjoining doors from inside their own rooms and met in the hallway.

The ship was rocking a little in the current, and as they approached the elevators, the ship moved a little, causing Sara to bump into Grissom. He grabbed her arm to steady her, and she laughed nervously.

"Sorry Griss, I haven't quite got my sea legs yet!" she said as they shared a rather nervous laugh.

They met Greg and Nick at the table. They had a wonderful dinner; Sara was impressed at the vegetarian selection available to her. They made their way down to the skating rink and watched the show. Sara had gotten a bit chilly, so Nick put his arm around her shoulders. He could see Grissom look at them with a strange look on his face. Nick smiled at him. No need to piss off the boss, he thought, but damn if he wasn't going to take care of her, Nick would.

At the end of the show, Nick and Greg decided to go casino hopping, while Sara and Grissom both decided to go back to their cabins to get a good nights rest for the next day.

Grissom left the men with a final warning to be on their best behavior and not to be too late so they were not impacted by the lack of sleep the next day.

Grissom offered his arm to Sara, who took it, and began to walk towards the elevators.

"Feel like a walk on the deck before bed?" he asked.

"Yeah, that would be great!" she replied.

They got off the elevator on 8 and walked out to the deck. The night sky was clear and the stars were beautiful. The moon reflected off the ocean and sparkled on the waves. They walked quietly, enjoying each other's company.

"Do you ever wonder?" she asked.

"Wonder what?" he replied.

They stopped and stood by the railing midship, watching the water roll by.

"What would have happened if we had of….you know… back in San Fransisco?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied quietly.

"I'm kind of wondering if I made the right choice moving to Vegas?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he questioned. He had a concerned look on his face.

"We had something going back then. I kind of wonder what would have happened if I had said no and just left things to develop on their own."

"Well," he replied, "Things changed so quickly."

"Did you ever have real feelings for me Gil?" she asked.

He loved it when she used his name like that. It made him feel warm all over. Thoughts raced through his mind. He was thinking, searching, for the right thing to say. To let her know that there hadn't been a day when he hadn't kicked himself for not pursuing their relationship. He suddenly realized, there in the cool Caribbean air, that he had never stopped loving her. Right here, with no one around, no cell phone calls interrupting them, no nosey co-workers spying on them, no Conrad Ecklie to worry about, he knew that he was never going to escape his feelings for her. And with her standing there, looking so beautiful in the moonlight, he knew that now was his moment.

Sara was worried, wondering if she had crossed an invisible line. But she waited.

He reached down and kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled back to look for her reaction, fully expecting a slap across the face. But instead, he was surprised to find her reaching behind his head and pulling him in. This time, the kiss was more passionate, and they both had to stop to catch their breath.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

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A/N Thank you so much for all of the awesome reviews! I appreciate every person that takes the time to send me their feedback! AOL is acting a little freaky right now, so if I haven't replied, please be patient! I promise, I love to reply to each comment and I will get it caught up.

And if you don't know, for those who live in the US and Canada, GSR ALERT Grissom is making a return appearance on CSI tonight! Don't miss it!


	4. Chapter 4

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 4

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery!_

_A_/N Thank you so much CBS and TPTB at CSI. Last night's episode was AWESOME. Sexpots? Really. That's our Gil!

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Sara was preparing for bed. She didn't usually brag about her days at Harvard, but if anyone had ever seen her pjs they would know she was a Harvard girl. The tank top and skinny shorts were just the right size to cover her, but not enough to make her too warm at night.

One problem had crossed her mind.

Nightmares.

She had never admitted to anyone that she had bad nightmares and sometimes, even worse than that, they prevented her from sleeping. They had all become used to her coming in to work early and leaving late. They had no idea why.

She opened the door to the balcony and stepped out.

It had been a perfect night. She had no idea where this new turn was taking her. But wherever it was going, she was going to follow the path and see where it led her.

The cool night air was refreshing. She reached back into the cabin and grabbed her silky housecoat and sat down on the chair. She breathed in deeply.

The ships out in the distance bobbed along in the deep blue water. The blue reflected in the moon's glow reminded her of Gil's eyes. Those beautiful eyes. The ones she could not get out of her mind. Perhaps the hour of kissing and touching would help her sleep for once.

She came back inside the cabin, closed the doors and the curtains and set her alarm for 630 am. She figured she take a run before showering and meeting the boys for breakfast.

She climbed into the bed. It was soft and comfortable. The pillows were soft and she fell quickly to sleep.

She awoke at about 1 am with those electric blue eyes staring down at her.

"Sara," he said, "Sara, wake up!"

She reached out to touch his face. Was he real? Was she dreaming? How did he get in to her apartment?

"Sara," he implored, "You must be having nightmares! Wake up honey, everything is ok."

She looked up at him. Her knight in shining armor, come to rescue her from the dragons.

"Gil," she replied, "Gil where am I?"

"You are on the Empress Alayna, remember, the cruise ship, we are all here on assignment."

"Grissom," she said, sitting straight up in bed, "How did you get in my cabin?" she asked.

"You didn't lock the adjoining door, I heard you yelling for help so I came through." he replied.

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed" she told him, hanging her head, tears rolling freely from her eyes.

"Why Sara?" he asked, "Don't be embarrassed with me. Remember, I'm the one who you were kissing earlier! I think we have a good enough relationship by now that we can accept each other. Nightmares and all!"

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, and snuggling down into the deep mattress, cool comforter and soft pillows.

"Sleep sweet Sara, sleep," he whispered as she drifted off. "I love you Sara."

And for the first time in a very long time, she did just that. She slept.

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Things were not going so well in the casino that night. Nick and Greg had found a bank of slot machines that were running hot. They had made about $20 each playing the pennies and had decided to move to blackjack. They had been betting $2 a hand, just to kill time and watch the ladies, and had done quite well. They were up to about $200 each when they moved to the $20 a hand table. They were just settling in when the table was approached by an older woman and a man in a wheelchair.

"Dr. Grant requests this table for his accessibility," she demanded.

"Well come on in then," Nick said in his best Texas drawl.

"No, son, you don't understand," she said in a very condescending tone, "since this is the only open table that is wheelchair accessible, I need you to vacate the table for Dr. Grant."

"Well that's not very friendly," Nick responded, "I think there is enough room for all of us at this table, Dr Grant, come join us!"

"No," Mrs. Grant replied, "You will need to leave this table, you can move over to the table with the tall chairs over there. Here's $100 for you to move."

"Ma'am," Nick said, standing up to his full height slowly and deliberately, "With all due respect to yourself and the Dr., we are more than willing to share this table with you or anyone else, but we will not vacate the table for you or your money."

Greg looked at him and, in a low tone, told Nick "Let's just go ahead back to the cabin. Remember Griss said not to get in any trouble."

Nick looked at Greg and decided that, for once, his young friend was right.

They cashed out their chips and moved from the casino to the bar. They had a couple of drinks and decided that it was time to turn in for the evening. Just as they were getting ready to leave, a pretty young woman came up the bar. She appeared to be alone.

"Can we buy you a drink ma'am?" Nick asked.

"Sure, thanks! I could use a drink," she replied.

"I'm Nick, and this knucklehead is my friend Greg," he introduced them.

"Jerri, nice to meet you," she said.

They drank together for about an hour when Greg and Nick realized that they had better get to bed or they would be on Grissom's shit list in the morning.

"We have to be to work tomorrow morning, so we need to be turning in about now," Greg said to Jerri.

"Oh, do you work for the cruise line?" she asked.

"No, we work for the LVPD, but we are doing a presentation on board for the FBI this week," Nick explained.

"Do you work for the cruise line?" Greg asked.

"Um, well, yes, I work in customer service, but I'm on vacation right now, so no business chat ok?" she said as she tried to cover her tracks. Cops. Great, just what I needed, she thought to herself.

"We'll see you around then.' Nick said as he and Greg left to go towards the elevators.

"Hopefully, you won't." she said under her breath.

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The night was still.

The captain had pulled up the stabilizers to speed the voyage to the Virgin Islands.

Jerri Smoak had seen the lights come on the balcony in the Grant's room. She knew that Mrs. Grant could not get the wheelchair over the stoop where the waterproof door met the cabin floor. It had to be her out there by herself.

She used the key she had taken from the cabin attendant's cart and let herself into the suite. She could hear peaceful snoring coming from the bedroom. The light on the deck let her know that not all of the cabin occupants had gone to sleep.

She walked to the door and saw Mrs. Grant, smoldering cigarette in hand, sitting on the balcony, listening to her Ipod. She stood up and tossed the cigarette butt over the railing, even though the warning clearly explained why this was not allowed on a cruise ship. She laughed as she watched the ashes and the butt of the cigarette sail back towards the lower priced rooms and onto someone else's balcony.

She never heard the door open or the steps up behind her. She felt the cold icy hands on her shoulder and back as she slipped over the railing and down 13 floors to the water below.

No one aboard heard her scream as the ship sailed on without her.

Jerri smiled. "Now who's the stupid bitch?" she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

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So, who hasn't wanted to push at least one person they know off a ship's balcony?

I hope you are enjoying. Thank you so much for all of the fantastic feedback I've been getting. It helps me out a lot. It's great to see new reviewers and fantastic to see some of you who have been with me since the beginning. Thank you so much. You will never know how much your feedback means to me. More tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 5

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery! And hey, just to be safe, I don't own a cruise line either. But if I did, I'd probably still be writing fan fiction because I love my readers! :o) Enjoy! _

_And back by popular demand…. Smut. Just a little to warm you up. But you gotta start somewhere right?_

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The sun came through the cracks in the heavy curtains. It was just enough for Grissom to be able to find the desk phone and carry it through into the bathroom.

He ordered room service for their breakfast, figuring they needed some alone time to talk. Once the food and coffee was ordered, he placed the phone back on the desk and crawled back into bed with Sara.

She was beginning to stir as he moved the covers up around them. Really, he knew he was trying to pull the covers up over something that had risen between them. How in the world would he be able to explain that to her as she was waking up from a restful sleep?

She snuggled in next to him, increasing the size of the problem.

"Grissom," she said quietly, "Is that really you?"

"Yes dear," he replied softly, "I'm right here, where I should have been all along."

She sat up and turned to face him. He, once again, adjusted the blankets to cover his lap.

"Grissom," she chuckled, "Do you have a problem going on there?"

"No dear," he replied, trying to find the humor in the moment, but failing miserably. He was embarrassed and he hadn't felt that way in quite some time. But she made him feel all kinds of things he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Are we doing the right thing here Grissom?' she asked, looking straight into his eyes, trying to anticipate his response.

"Sara," he replied, "I'm not sure of anything anymore except for the fact that I've been a stupid old fool and I'm not wasting another moment of my life without you!"

He looked shocked at the words that came out of his mouth.

She, on the other hand, already knew what he was finally able to put into words. They belonged together.

She leaned in, painfully slowly, and kissed his lips.

Then she remembered, she hadn't brushed her teeth yet.

"Griss, let go of me for a minute, I need to brush my teeth before I start something I won't be able to stop!"

"Your breath is sweet, and to be honest, I don't want you to get out of this bed right now," he told her as he grabbed her into a strong hug and began to deliver a soulful, passionate kiss that she could feel all the way down to her toes.

She kissed him back without reservation. She knew this was what she had wanted for so long. It was almost too much to believe. But here she was, in bed, on a ship, in the Gulf of Mexico, sharing the most exquisite kiss ever with the man she had loved for so long.

His hands began to roam. She let them.

For so long, he had wanted to feel her beautiful breasts. He was not disappointed. The woman he lay next to was gorgeous in all ways, but her physical beauty was intoxicating. Especially with her being barely dressed.

Her hands wandered to the waist-line of his boxers, only to find that they appeared to be too small for him at this moment.

"Wow," she said is a soft, sexy voice, "Is that for me?"

"Yes Sara, I want you desperately, but I don't want to push you too hard or too fast. I'm happy with this for now."

"Well," she replied, "I told you before, I know what to do about this!"

At that moment, they both jumped in response to a heavy banging on the door of her cabin.

"I ordered room service," he told her as he grabbed the housecoat from the closet and opened the door.

"Grissom," came the shocked voice of Nick Stokes, "What in the world are you doing in Sara's.…." he stopped when he realized how stupid that question really was.

"Nick," Grissom replied, "Its not what you think!"

"Well, bugman," Nick replied, "after all this time, it had better be what I think it is, or I'm going to think that you are not as smart as I thought you were."

He looked at Sara and gave her that patented Nicky Stokes wink and said "I'm going for a run, and I'm assuming that you are not coming along with me." He turned and left for the deck with the running track for his morning jog. Alone.

"I think he's on to us!" Grissom said as he smiled and returned to what he had been doing; kissing the beautiful Sara Sidle.

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About 30 minutes later, after breakfast had been delivered, set out on the table and partially eaten, Nick came back, looking rather sweaty and definitely out of breath.

"Guys, look out the window, the ship has come to a complete stop!" he informed them.

They drew back the curtains and confirmed what Nick had said to be true.

"I wonder what's going on?" Sara asked.

"I'm going to go wake up Greg and ask around. Finish your breakfast. I'll be right back," he instructed as he grabbed a piece of Sara's toast and jogged back down the hall.

Sara looked at Grissom and smiled. "I guess we had better get dressed."

"OK," he replied, "but we'll pick this conversation up later."

He returned to his room, leaving the door ajar, and began to dress for his presentation.

When he returned to Sara's room, she had also dressed for the presentation in her black dress pants and a blue silk shirt. She had on a blue necklace that matched the color of the shirt and casual shoes to allow her to stand and be comfortable for the presentations.

"You look beautiful," he complimented her, "But you looked beautiful before you put all those clothes on too."

She gave him a knowing smile.

Greg and Nick were at the door in a few moments and Greg was very animated.

"Grissom, Sara, the boat is stopped!" he exclaimed. He sounded like a little kid who had just discovered a new toy.

"Greg," Grissom scolded, "It's a ship, not a boat. And there has to be a very good reason for it to be stopped here in the middle of the Gulf."

As if prompted by Grissom's comments, the ship's announcement system went off and the voice of the captain was piped into the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "This is Captain Johnny Zuiker. I am very sorry for the disruption so early this morning, but I am afraid that I will have to ask all guests to remain in their staterooms until further notice. There has been a passenger lost and we will need to locate this passenger prior to anyone being able to partake in today's activities. All scheduled events will be delayed until further notice. We will update you as more information becomes available. If the passenger Janice Grant from suite 5a could please call the concierge line, we would appreciate it."

The message was then repeated in Spanish, French, and German.

"Wow," I wonder what's going on," Nick said, "it must be pretty serious though."

Grissom picked up the phone, this time calling his contact from the FBI group on the ship.

"Hello Dr. Tanner," Grissom said, "I couldn't help but notice that there appears to be a problem. Can you bring us up to speed on the situation? Perhaps my team could help."

Nick, Greg and Sara could hear only parts of the conversation from where they were standing. Apparently the captain had notified Dr. Tanner of the details from the evening and was letting her know how much he appreciated the fact that he had so many trained officers onboard.

"Sure, we'd be glad to. Yes, Yes, I know where that is."

He hung up the phone.

"Well it appears that the Empress Alayna has lost a passenger and they are, by law, required to stop and investigate, however since we are currently in American waters, we are within jurisdiction to help with the investigation until we can begin our seminar."

They had brought one fully loaded kit as a demonstration piece for their seminars, so Greg grabbed it from Sara's closet and they made their way down to the lobby bar where Dr. Tanner and Captain Johnny were waiting for them. There were several of the FBI officers in the area, but other than that, the area was empty.

Noticing Nick and Greg behind Grissom, Dr. Tanner raised an eyebrow and stopped Grissom at the entrance to the bar.

"Dr Grissom, who are these young men?" she asked.

"These are my employees Stokes and Sanders," he advised.

"Well Mr. Stokes and Mr. Sanders are persons of interest, we'll need to ask them some questions."

Grissom couldn't believe his ears. Had he not warned them a hundred times that they had to stay out of trouble?

"Well Dr. Tanner," he responded, "I'm sure that they had nothing to do with any crimes committed on this ship, but they will certainly cooperate with any investigation."

Dr. Tanner signaled them to follow her to a leather sofa in the center of the bar. She brought out some photographs, clearly from surveillance tapes, and pointed to Nick, Greg, Dr. Grant and Mrs. Grant.

"It seems that you two may have been among the last people to see this woman alive," Dr. Tanner began.

"Can you please explain to me what your interaction was with this woman during the time frame when the photos were taken?"

Nick and Greg looked at each other, but Nick spoke first.

"We were playing blackjack last night when the lady came up to the table with her husband in a wheelchair and demanded that we vacate the table because it was the only one that was accessible to the wheelchair," he explained, "She offered to give us a hundred bucks for leaving. At first we didn't want to leave, but she was very disagreeable and we decided that we really didn't want to play any more anyhow, so we cashed out and went to the bar."

"Did you see her again after that?" Dr Tanner asked.

"No, not at all," Greg replied.

"Well, this woman has disappeared into thin air," Dr. Tanner explained, and we need to find out what happened to her."

"We can definitely help you with that!" Sara said in a very calm, but authoritative voice.

"We can use all the help we can get," Dr. Tanner said, welcoming the offer. "The ship's security force is reviewing tapes right now, we need to do a floor to floor search and we need to take a closer look at their suite. Where do you think you should start?"

"We'll start in the suite," Grissom replied, checking his team for confirmation. He noted that all three were nodding in unison.

"Here's the deal, " Tanner explained, "We have only two hours until the captain has to release the guests from their cabins. Do you think you can have your investigation done by then?"

"No problem," Nick said.

"Then go ahead up to the suite and I'll get back with you as soon as I get the videos."

They were given a key by the cabin steward and were shown the back way to the suites.

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Around that time, Jerri was waking up alone in her cabin. Her head throbbed. She didn't remember drinking enough to have a hangover. She didn't remember much of anything except the two rather handsome men she had met in the bar last night. And why did her clothes smell of smoke? And where had she gotten the scratches on her arm?

"Maybe a coffee will help me remember," she said to herself as she began to brew a single cup from the coffee maker and turned the shower on. "I wonder if I had fun?" she thought, and then smiling as another thought entered her head, "I wonder if it was the blonde or the brunette, or both?"

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Ok Ok It will get smuttier, I promise. Gotta earn the "M" rating somehow. But let's take it slow – it's me not you, really! LOL More tomorrow! :o)


	6. Chapter 6

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 6

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery_

Please don't forget to send me your feedback! I need to know whether or not to continue the tale or wrap it up. Please let me know!

This chapter is _fairly_ clean, but the smut will be turned up in Chapter 7.

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They had been processing the room for about 20 minutes. Nick and Greg were working on the front of the suite where the living room area and Grissom and Sara were working on the bedroom and bathroom.

The bathroom area was luxurious – a separate shower and tub, with the tub being set in to the window area, where the occupant could see down to the water below. There was a double vanity with sinks and lighted mirrors and a small sauna. The commode was in a separate glass stall, right beside the shower stall. It was very plush.

Greg and Nick had been speaking in very hushed tones.

"So, he was in her cabin and he had no clothes on?" Greg asked.

"No, he was in her cabin and he had a housecoat on," Nick clarified.

"OK but what was her face looking like?" Greg continued.

"Peaceful… happy… maybe a little embarrassed?" Nick replied.

"Well its about freaking time, if you ask me," Greg said.

"I know, Greggo, but we gotta keep it under wraps for now," Nick spoke sincerely, "You know how important that is to Sara."

"Yeah I know; we got her back. She's had ours often enough, right?" Greg added.

They both loved Sara dearly; she was like a sister in so many ways. Considering how much they had all been through together, it was no surprise. They knew she would never give up on her love for the bugman. They had tried to get her to see other people, thinking that there was no way that that old dog would learn new trick. Apparently they were wrong.

Sara and Grissom worked silently, processing quickly and efficiently. They had a rhythm from working together for so long. Words were not needed to communicate what needed to be done.

Sara had been able to collect some clean fingerprints from the door of the balcony and the railings.

At about an hour into their two-hour window, they met in the living room area.

"Let's run it," Grissom said to Sara.

"Mrs. Grant was on the balcony," she began, "sitting there smoking a cigarette from the looks of the ashtray. From the scrapes on the floor of the balcony and the smudges on the glass window, it appears that she was pushed over the side. She was not a large woman, so it could have been done by anyone. And if it had been an accident, someone would have notified the captain to stop the ship."

"I agree," said Grissom, "but who would want to drop some poor old lady over the edge of the ship?"

"You never met Mrs. Grant," Greg replied, "She really didn't seem to be a very nice person!"

"So, it looks like we need to start asking some questions to get to the bottom of this," Nick suggested.

"I'll start with the security tape," Sara chimed in.

"I'll go with you," Griss replied. He looked at the two younger men and suggested they finish the bar area of the suite and then head down to the casino to see what they could find.

"I'll ask the Captain to keep the casino closed until we can process it. Or at least where the Grants were sitting last night," he added.

The Captain had been cleared to begin the ship's movement towards the Virgin Islands, as the Coast Guard and local military authorities had taken over the search for Janice Grant's body. Since the FBI and CSIs were certain Mrs. Grant had gone overboard, they were also able to let the people begin to enjoy the day on the ship.

Sara and Grissom left the two young men to finish their work and grabbed the forward elevator to head to the Captain's quarters.

After clearing their plans with the captain, they went down to the 1st deck and found the security office. The head of security was talking to Dr. Tanner.

"We have found the critical moment on the video tape," Benjamin Hurley said in his lilting Jamaican accent, "It appears that Mrs. Grant was pushed over the balcony by a female."

Dr. Tanner suggested that Grissom and Sara review the videotapes from the security office.

They set up at the desk in the security office and also set up their laptop and scanner. Grissom had sent an email to Catherine; preparing her to get Mandy ready to receive the fingerprints they had gathered in the suite and push them to the top of the pile.

Grissom began reviewing the tapes as Sara started scanning fingerprints into the database. As the ship began to move, the rocking was fairly noticeable in the enclosed cabin. At least twice Sara was rocked into Grissom, and they exchanged friendly smiles as he helped her get her footing.

Ben Hurley entered the room, looking sharp in his ship's uniform. He had found his cap since he last saw Sara and Grissom, and smelled as though he may have just found a cologne bottle on his way to the office.

"I am here to be of any assistance to you," he offered with a particularly bright smile to Sara.

"Thank you," Sara replied, returning his smile. Sara was familiar with how friendly and kind the Jamaican people were. She was not expecting Ben to be quite that friendly. "It will be about an hour until we hear back from our fingerprint technician, so we are just reviewing some of the video now to see if we can see a woman fitting the description of the perp in any of the film."

"Miss Sara," Ben said, walking up to stand next to her, "Are you ready for lunch then?"

"Um, yes Ben, I'm sure we will be ready for some lunch soon," she replied, not getting his drift.

"Well, it would be my pleasure to be your escort for lunch if don't already have a date," he asked.

Grissom looked over at Ben and Sara, prepared to defend her honor.

"Ben," she said with her very sweetest voice, "I'm flattered by your offer, but I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate me dating such a handsome man while he's left to work!"

She looked at Grissom's face when she used the word 'boyfriend' to see if he reacted. While they had 'slept' together, it wasn't a solid relationship yet and she didn't want to scare him away after they had made up so much ground last night.

"A shame for me, Miss Sara," Ben responded, "but of course such a beautiful woman would have a boyfriend," he then looked directly at Grissom and said, "he must be a lucky man right brother?"

"Yes," Grissom replied, "I am."

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Nick and Greg didn't have too much luck in the casino. They were able to retrieve fingerprints from the table but nothing seemed to be out of line.

They began the task of questioning guests who had contact with the Grants during the previous day. There were many people to talk to, as Mrs. Grant had made many friends by her outgoing and bubbly personality. Not.

Mrs. Grant seemed to piss off everyone she had any dealings with, from the cabin attendants, concierge staff, and other guests.

After conferring with Grissom and Sara, they agreed that they were looking for a fairly tall woman, light complexion, and long hair, perhaps dark blonde or light brown. This helped eliminate a lot of interviews!

Nick and Greg set up in the conference room where the lecture was originally scheduled to happen. They began with the cabin attendants. Since most of the attendants were from the islands, they were immediately eliminated as suspects. However their intimate knowledge of the suites and the exclusive clientele in the suites, made them invaluable in trying to understand the context of the situation.

Andrea Waite ended up being a wealth of information. She was able to provide Nick and Greg with a good summary of the comings and goings of the Grants over the past day. She was also able to give them details about Mrs. Grant's interactions with many of the staff. It appeared that her communication with most of the staff had been as rude and condescending as she had been with the boys in the casino the night before.

The next person on the list was Dr. Grant. They decided that it might be a good idea to get some lunch before they began to question the elderly gentleman. So they set off to find Grissom and Sara.

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Back in the darkened security office, Grissom and Sara had another problem. Ben Locke. He didn't seem to get the drift that Sara was not available and he certainly had not taken Grissom's admission to being her boyfriend as any reason to stop trying to get Sara to go out with him.

"Miss Sara," he said in quite a friendly voice, "When we get to the islands, I know a place that we can go and your boyfriend would never find out about it!"

Grissom, finally fed up with having to watch the handsome young man flirt with his Sara, interrupted.

"Ben," he said in quite a forceful voice, "I'm going to have to make this clear to you. She is declining your offer due to the fact that she is involved with someone else – someone that she will probably marry very soon, so please leave her alone."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to push myself on you Miss Sara," he replied, "but you are very striking and I just thought we would share our knowledge of security and crime over a nice meal."

"Ben," she replied, taking her cue from Grissom, "You see, what Dr. Grissom is trying to tell you in the most polite way possible, is that HE is my boyfriend and, while your offer is very flattering, I'm afraid neither Dr. Grissom, nor I, would be very happy with that situation."

Ben looked stunned.

"My sincerest apologies," he said, "But I just assumed that because of … well because you are so …. Um…." He struggled looking for the right words to say.

"Yes, I know," Grissom interrupted, "because I am so much older than she is, that you assumed we could not be a couple?"

"Well, in point of fact, yes. I'm sorry to be so rude to think that way. I hope you can forgive me?" he asked.

"Of course we can, Ben," Sara consoled him. And if you want to join us at dinner, you are more than welcome to do so."

Ben smiled at them graciously and left the room. As he left, Nick and Greg we heading towards him in the hallway.

"Is that the security office?" Greg asked.

"Yes, it is," Ben replied, "but don't go asking that girl out, because her boyfriend is a little over-protective!"

"Excuse me?" Nick asked, "Her boyfriend?"

"Yes," said Ben, "The older gentleman," he informed them as he strode past them, and disappeared down the hallway into another office four doors down.

Nick and Greg looked at each other, smiled, and decided that they really needed to hear the rest of this story!

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Just after Ben left the room, Grissom stood up and walked quickly to where Sara was standing.

"Boyfriend?" he asked her.

"Soon to be married?" she replied.

He leaned down to kiss her. She stopped him.

"Griss, this is not the right place," she said.

"I know, but I can't resist kissing my girlfriend."

She relented.

The kiss became hot and passionate. Her whole body seemed to mould into his as he pushed her up against the desk and spread her legs to stand between them. She could feel his body responding to her kisses and hands running down his back.

The door flung open, and standing there, in shock, were Greg and Nick.

"Um, Grissom," Greg said, "Aren't we supposed to be on our best behavior? Representing the city and all?"

Nick elbowed Greg in the arm. "Shut up Greggo," he said, and then added, "We are going up to have lunch, but I see you may already have plans so, we'll see you later!"

As the door closed, Sara looked at Grissom and asked "Your cabin or mine for lunch?"

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A/N Ah, something is "coming up" next. :o) Please leave me a review – it makes me work faster!


	7. Chapter 7

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 7

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery_

Oh my, but fingers keep typing this smut and I can't make them stop! :o)

Consider this 2nd chapter today a Superbowl Sunday treat for those of you who have to sit by and pretend to like football. At the end, we can all stand up and shout TOUCHDOWN!

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As the door closed, Sara looked at Grissom and asked "Your cabin or mine for lunch?"

They shut the computer and put it and the scanner into the laptop bag. They slipped out of the office and, holding hands, opted for the stairs up to the 8th floor. The first cabin they reached was Sara's. She grabbed her keycard and slipped it into the lock. The door opened and Grissom pushed her through the doorway.

He placed the computer bag on the desk and crossed back to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and bringing her around to face him.

"Sara," he said in a serious, quiet tone, "Once we cross this line, I'm not going back."

"I never wanted to go back," Sara replied, "I think I've made it pretty damn clear how much I want you, so please stop talking."

He was surprised at how direct she was. But Sara was always fairly direct and she was right, she'd been clear from the start that she wanted much more than a platonic relationship. He was just too stupid to see it.

As he kissed up and down the length of her slim neck, his hands began unbutton her shirt. She moaned gently, feeling the heat of his breath or her neck and noticing that her knees were becoming weak. She had, for so long, dreamed about this moment. She had thought about office sex, kitchen sex, bedroom sex, but never boat sex. It was going to be good.

He suddenly stopped what he was doing and pulled away.

"What?" she said, breathlessly, "Don't stop Gil!"

"Sara," he replied, also trying to catch his breath, "I don't have … anything…"

"Gil, I don't know what you are trying to say."

"No protection," he said, sounding disappointed.

"I take a shot, Gil, get back to work!" she insisted as she began to run her hands up and down his pants, trying to find the belt. She made quick work of the belt, button, and zipper, allowing his pants to drop around his ankles. He quickly stepped out of them and kicked them aside. She pulled his shirt off. He stood in her cabin, wearing nothing but his boxers and a smile.

"Miss Sidle," he said in a bad imitation of a Jamaican accent, "You have all together too many clothes on!" and he growled a deep, guttural, sound that made chills go up her back. She stood before him, working her buttons open one at a time. She slid the blouse back off her shoulders, revealing her soft purple bra. He reached out to grab her pants but was pushed away.

"Be patient, Gil, I have been, so you can be too!" she said in a very sexy voice. She took unsnapped her button and slowly brought the zipper down. He could stand it no more, so he quickly closed the little space between them and pushed the pants down to her knees. She stepped out of them, revealing her purple panties that were an exact match to her bra.

Looking at her standing there in only her underwear made him as hard as he could ever remember getting. She could see his reaction in his shorts and smiled. She'd always figured he was well endowed from the way he wore his pants. She wasn't disappointed.

He gently lay her down on the king sized bed, pulling her breasts out of the bra to expose the sensitive flesh to his lips and tongue. He loved the taste of her skin. She tasted like vanilla and smelled ever so sweet. She moaned again as he used his mouth, tongue, and teeth to work her into a frenzy.

Her hands reached for his erection, gently pulling him to place where she could explore every inch of his body. He pulled away and gently used his teeth to draw her panties down her legs. As he came back up her body, he kissed her softly until he reached her core. Once there, he moved her legs and, with his tongue and teeth, almost drove her to an instant climax.

"Gil," she said, having a hard time putting words together, "please, I want you to be in me for our first time, please, I can't wait any longer!"

He lifted his head and moved up her body, stopping again at her breasts and enjoying one more taste. He then entered her and, ever so slowly, they began to rock in time with the ship.

"Are you ready dear?" he asked her softly.

"I've never been more ready for anything," she replied as he took her over the edge into a climax like none she had ever felt.

Two seconds later, he also reached his peak, and she felt him explode within her.

He lay on top of her, suddenly realizing that he was probably much too heavy to stay like this. He rolled to the side and scooped her up in his arms.

"I love you Sara Sidle," he confessed, "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life."

"I have always loved you Gil," she replied, "and I'm so glad you figured out what to do about this."

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Now can you give me a treat and send a review my way! :o) Back to Jerri's story tomorrow!


	8. Chapter 8

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 8

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery_

Jerri awoke for the second time that morning with a headache and dry mouth. She went to the bathroom to find some Tylenol and swallowed three of them. She hadn't been drunk, she didn't think the police she met would have rufied her. It must have been something she ate.

She dressed and walked up to the café to get some food and coffee. While walking through the line, she noticed the two police she met the night before sitting at a table having an animated conversation. She walked over and asked to join them.

"Well of course, darling," Nick said.

"Did you end up having a good night last night?" Greg asked.

"Well, no, I don't really remember much about last night to be very honest with you!"

"Too much to drink?" Greg asked, smiling.

"No, I think I ate something that disagreed with me," she said.

They sat and chatted about cruising, work, and customers.

Greg mentioned that he had done some work in customer service while he was in college, and he agreed that sometimes it could be a real challenge. He reveled in explaining how he had told a customer off for saying that he wasn't very smart.

"Smart my ass," he chuckled, "I was a student at MIT for crying out loud. Why would you say something like that to someone you don't even know. I made sure his cable was messed up for several days."

The three laughed.

"Did you get caught?' Jerri asked.

"Yeah, they caught me, I guess I wasn't as smart as I thought I was," and then added, "I got fired when they realized that I had set him up to disconnect every time he got reconnected."

"Greggo," Nick laughed, "I had no idea you had it in you!"

"It was supposed to be a joke, but I guess they didn't find it too funny!"

Jerri laughed. "Well I just had one last week that said I was stupid and threatened to sue me personally," she added, "not that she would have gotten much!"

They had all finished eating when Nick looked at his watch and announced that they had to get back to work.

"Lecture?" Jerri asked.

"Oh no, didn't you hear, there was a murder on the ship last night!" Greg informed her.

Jerri suddenly went cold, but she really didn't understand why. "Murder?" she asked.

"Yes, didn't you hear the announcements from the Captain this morning?" Nick asked.

"No, I was sound asleep," she replied.

"Well, apparently some older woman took a header off the balcony of her suite," Greg explained.

Jerri went white.

"Are you ok darling?" Nick asked, "You look whiter than a sheet on laundry day!"

"It must be my stomach again," she responded. "I better go back to my cabin. Will I see you guys later?" she asked.

"You bet!" Greg said.

They walked towards the elevators, and pushed 1 and 3. Jerri got off on 3 and walked towards her cabin.

After the door closed behind, Greg and Nick got into a heated discussion.

"No man, she likes me!" Greg said.

"Greg, why would she want a hamburger when she could have filet, man!"

"Why would she want an old man did you say?" Greg asked, getting ready to duck the anticipated punch coming from Nick.

Nick just laughed. "Hey I believe the old guys may get the prize more than we think!"

They both laughed.

As they stepped off the elevator, they noticed Grissom and Sara entering the security office. They looked at each other and laughed at their secret knowledge. The sight of Grissom holding Sara's hand and leading her through the doorway was sweet.

They knocked on the door this time before entering.

Sara had set the computer back up again and was checking Grissom's inbox for a response from Mandy. Grissom asked Nick and Greg how their interviews had gone.

They let Grissom know that they were going to meet with Dr. Grant at 2 pm. Grissom then had them come over the video monitor and brought up the gruesome footage of Mrs. Grant going over her balcony.

"I've sent the film to Archie to get it enhanced, hopefully we will be able to see the face more clearly," he said. "But for now, go interview the victim's husband and we'll keep working on the footage here."

"Will do, Grissom," Nick answered, "And we'll be back after the interview."

"Now, you two behave," Greg added as they slipped out the door.

Sara looked at Grissom and smiled. "They know," she said.

"How in the world would they know?" Grissom asked her.

"They're CSIs. They notice things."

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I don't care," he stated, "I'll tell the world."

They sat in silence beside each other, looking over the hours of tapes. They didn't mind, as long as they were together, doing anything would be a pleasure.

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The interview was challenging.

As it turned out, Dr. Grant was not very clear when talking. A stroke had taken its toll on his voice and mouth, but not his brain. He was sharp as a tack, but he seemed to be lost in expressing himself.

Greg decided to try a notepad. He handed Dr. Grant the notepad and asked if he could write his answers.

This worked well. Dr Grant was able to explain that Janice Grant had been his second wife of only about 5 years. She seemed to be in love with him, but after he had his stroke, she became despondent and bitter.

When Greg asked him if she was a mean person, Dr. Grant shook his head sadly. He wrote in a shaky hand, "She wasn't before, but she had become very cruel. I couldn't get her to stop trying to protect me. I didn't need protection, I needed love." The tears rolled from his eyes. Nick got him a tissue and asked if he needed some time to compose himself.

No, he shook his head. He wrote: "I can't believe I didn't hear anything!"

"The balcony doors are soundproof, Dr. Grant, " Nick explained, "You can't blame yourself."

"Ok," Nick continued, "Let's recap yesterday."

They went through the list of all of the people Janice Grant had been mean to the previous day. Anyone who could have still been on the ship and dealt with her would have been a suspect. Andrea, the cabin attendant had already confirmed that the man was wheelchair bound, she had seen Janice Grant helping him use the bathroom, so he was ruled out almost immediately.

They thanked him for his time and confirmed that he would be available if they had more questions. Dr. Grant was more than willing to help any way he could.

Nick and Greg met with Dr. Tanner and a few of the senior agents who had been pressed into service with the investigation. They used the ship's list of passengers and crew to determine who they needed to speak to next. They made a plan for the rest of the afternoon and agreed to meet at dinnertime to discuss their progress and next steps.

Nick and Greg agreed to bring Grissom up to speed on what was happening.

Dr. Tanner impressed upon the investigators the importance of having the case wrapped up before the end of the next day. She reminded them that once the ship reached St. Thomas, passengers would be allowed to disembark, and if there was a murderer onboard, they would probably not get back on the ship.

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In the security office, Ben had returned to bring Sara and Grissom some tea and cookies. They took a break from the security tapes and joined Ben in his version of tea-time.

They asked Ben about the suite area and what they access was.

Ben explained that the suite area was key-card access only and that often regular guests just walked in behind suite guests. Occasionally, they found people in the private pool who didn't belong. He advised that it was pretty much up the concierge attendants to make sure that the people who didn't belong, stayed out.

"Where is the video for the suite access?" Grissom asked.

"That is on feed 18," Ben replied. "You may want to push that one to the top of the list!"

They returned to the video monitors and found the tape of the suites.

The three of them sat watching the video, seeing the people coming and going, including Mrs. Grant berating several of the employees on the concierge staff.

Ben glanced over and noticed that the pair was now hold hands. He smiled. He wasn't sure how he had missed the signs, but clearly these two were intimate. He felt like a fool for being so forward before. But she was beautiful. He couldn't be blamed for trying!

Sara was the first one to notice the young woman accessing the suite area with a badge instead of a key-card.

"Watch this," she said to Grissom and Ben, "This lady has some kind of badge she shows to the employee to gain access."

"Well, she could be an FBI trainee, or a cruise line employee, or just showing her photo id because she forgot her key?" Ben explained.

They asked Ben to get the photo records of all guests who were assigned to the suites. Ben was able to get the photos taken as the guests were being checked in. The young woman was not among the registered guests.

"OK Let's get this film to Archie and see what he can do to clear it up," Grissom said. Sara followed his instructions and uploaded the film to Archie.

Grissom's inbox was flashing. It was a message from Mandy stating that she was able to get fingerprints from the scan sent by Sara earlier, but that there were no hits in AFIS, so they knew that they were looking for someone who had no criminal record.

Ben reminded them that the day of tomorrow they would be stopped in the port of and that passengers would be able to leave the ship. He suggested that if they could identify the person in the video, they might be able to prevent her from disembarking as, if she were the perpetrator, she probably wouldn't be getting back on the ship.

Time was definitely NOT on their side with this investigation.

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A/N OK guys, I've delivered one chapter a day (two yesterday!) for seven days as promised. My reviews are down, so I'm wondering if I need to wrap it up or go on. Please let me know if you are still following along. I seem to have a lot of readers, but only a few of you have taken the time to let me know what you think. Please, if you haven't already, take a moment and send me your feedback. I promise to respond to you! It means a lot to me and helps me determine which way to go with the story so please take just a second and send a review!

More tomorrow!


	9. Chapter 9

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 9

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery_

Thank you all for the feedback! I love my readers and your feedback is the best prize this writer could ever ask for! The consensus is to move forward with the story, so here we go…

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Grissom laughed out loud when he heard Sara's stomach growling.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"So it appears," she also chuckled at her body's reminder that they had skipped lunch.

"I'd suggest room service," he suggested, "but I'm afraid I wouldn't eat much… food."

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad?" she replied with a super-sexy grin. He was in trouble, he knew it, it couldn't think of anything else right now but how they had spent their lunch-hour. Focus, Grissom, focus, he said to himself.

"We need to find Greg and Nick and see if we can round up Dr. Tanner so we can strategize from here," Grissom said, trying to find his business voice.

"Well, we need to get our evidence together and hopefully we will hear back from Archie from those two films we sent him," Sara replied.

They headed down to the conference room and found Greg, Nick and Dr. Tanner already comparing their notes.

"Let's go get some dinner," Grissom said, "We can eat at the café and compare notes."

"Its only 6 Grissom," Greg replied, are you hungry already? Didn't you eat lunch?" Nick smacked him in the back to stop him from having to pull his foot out of his mouth any further!

Grissom blushed. Sara had to look twice to confirm that he had actually turned a slight shade of red.

They headed up to the café, notes and computers in hand, and grabbed a good meal from the buffet.

Dr. Tanner, Ben, Grissom, Sara, Nick and Greg, sat and enjoyed their meal before they began to run the evidence.

Nick had seated himself directly next to Sara on the bench seat. While the others were at the buffet line, he began to play 20 questions.

"So, what's new?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Nothing," she replied.

He knew those answers. Nothing. Fine. Sara was really good at the one-word no answer answers.

"Not what I saw!" Nick stated.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she smiled at him.

"Ah sweetie, I think your wish finally came true," he grinned.

"Nick, I can't tell you how happy I am right now, but I also can't tell you much else, just keep thinking positive thoughts and keep Greg from being the second victim on this ship," she indicated that they had company coming by the look in her eyes.

"Sara," Greg said as he approached the table and slid in across from her, "There is an awesome garlic shrimp fettuccine over there, you wanna try some?" he said as he pushed his loaded fork towards her.

"Ah, no Greg, not today," she responded, turning her head from the fork, "I'll try it tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah I forgot. You probably have a HOT date tonight," Greg winked at her and then suddenly yelled, "Ouch!" in response to a swift kick from Nicky under the table.

"Let it go Greggo," Nick instructed, "they'll tell us when they are ready ok?"

"Ok Ok," Greg agreed, "but for crying out loud, we're CSIs, we notice things!"

Grissom slid back into his seat beside Sara and across from Greg, Dr. Tanner and Ben. Sara felt so safe between two of her favorite men. And she felt even better when she noticed that Grissom had placed his hand on her upper leg. It was like electricity running through her body when he touched her. She couldn't wait to get back to their cabins and unlock that adjoining door.

They decided that they had done as much as they could until Archie was able to finish processing the video. They agreed to take a break and Ben presented them with internal use cell phones. Grissom agreed to call Ben and Dr. Tanner as soon as he had word back from Archie.

In the meantime, Greg and Nick wandered back down to the casino.

"I'll bet 20 bucks they are doing it right now," Greg said to Nick, laughing.

"Ew, Greg, that's a visual I don't need!" Nick said.

They had both had a crush on Sara at one point in time or another, but had both been made very aware of the fact that she had eyes only for Grissom. Even when she dated Hank, they knew it was nothing, because she had still been in love with someone else. Nick had thought that Hank was an attempt to make Grissom jealous. Greg just thought Hank had been a mistake.

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Grissom and Sara went back down to the cabin and deposited the laptop in the room. They decided to go for a walk on the deck while it was still light out. The strolled along, Sara's arm through Grissom's, looking much like a couple who had been together in a comfortable relationship for a long, long, time.

They stopped at the bow of the ship and watched as the water churning below. Grissom turned to look at Sara and sighed, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known," he explained, "I don't know what you see in me, but I'm glad you see it!"

He reached down, placed his fingers on her jawline, and reached in to kiss her. They stood there, with the sun setting behind them in the distance, and kissed passionately until a family walked by. The pulled away and strolled back towards the stairs to the rooms. They both knew where they were headed without even saying a word.

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Jerri had her small bag packed and was prepared to leave the ship first thing in the morning. For some reason, she had a terrible feeling of foreboding that told her she needed to leave. Too bad, she thought, those cops were cute. Perhaps that younger one had a little crush on her? Well, it wouldn't be. Not now. She had to get off this ship.

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Dr. Grant had been experiencing his first days of independence since his stroke. While he still struggled with speaking, he found that he was capable of moving the wheelchair around very well on his own. He missed Janice, but he did not feel the pain that he felt when his first wife died.

Beverley, his first wife, had been the love of his life. He met her when she became a nurse in his small practice, and they soon developed a relationship. They grew the business together and expanded his family practice into three offices. They had a great life, including two wonderful children and four grandchildren. But Beverley had developed liver cancer and had died quickly. He was, at least, grateful that she had not suffered as long as others he had seen with the disease.

Janice had been a friend of Beverley's. When Bev died, Janice swooped in, trying to help John put his life back together. He married her when she announced that she was pregnant. Surprised to find that he could still have children at his age, he felt it was the right thing to do. However she lost the baby shortly after the wedding. John's children were convinced that she had never really been pregnant, but John refused to believe this.

Once John Grant had his stroke, Janice took over his life. She maintained their home, finances, and oversaw the practices. She became overbearing and conceited. She seemed to believe that his trouble with speech was indicative of a loss of intellect.

The love had gone from the relationship and she became more of a caretaker than a partner. He was sure she was having an affair, but he could not prove it.

Loosing her was hard, they certainly had been close at one time, and had shared some great times before the stroke. But the sad truth was that he was not heartbroken at his loss as much as he grieved for the way that the woman had died. No one deserved that.

But the question remained. Did he tell the investigators about the young blonde woman who came into their suite and pushed his wife overboard, or did he send her a check for putting him out of his misery?

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Hmmmm… I think smut time may be right around the corner. What do you think?


	10. Chapter 10

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 10

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery_

I am so sorry for the delay in posting. I was on a cruise vacation (yes, it was a cruise!) and Internet access is cost prohibitive for the writing muse! .65 cents a minute!) Back on schedule!

And as a reward for your patience, here's a little treat!

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Sara and Grissom had entered their own respective cabins, smiling broadly at each other as they slid their keys into their doors. Once into the room, they met in the adjoining doorway and embraced.

"Sara," Grissom said, "I can't believe what I fool I was to let you get away from me for so long! But this feels so right. I feel like I've been in love with you forever. Thank you for being patient and waiting for me to come to my senses!"

"You can make it up to me now!" she replied in a sexy, low voice.

He grabbed behind her neck and pulled her in to him for a deep, passionate kiss. She felt the tingling begin in her neck and move down to her toes as his hands began to remove the shirt she had on. Once that was gone, her pants were next to go.

Meanwhile, she had been searching for the zipper and button for the dockers he had been wearing. She always liked him in that kind of casual pants because they made him look very slim and well endowed. It wasn't a lie. He was very well endowed. And he knew how to make her feel very satisfied.

As they both lost pieces of clothing, they moved towards his bed, still kissing and exploring each other's bodies. The sex thing was still very new to both of them and they were still trying to learn what made the other happy. As far as Grissom was concerned, just being with her was more than he could have asked for. He had been with other women, plenty over the years, but not one had he developed this kind of connection so quickly. It was intoxicating. She was intoxicating.

He moved her towards the bed and gently placed her knees against the back of the bedside, lowering her down to the white sheets. He gently lay down beside her. Using his hands, he found her most sensitive spot and began to massage and caress until she began to move with the rhythm of his hands. She reached down to grab him, but he told her to wait.

"This is for you dear," he said in a romantic, sexy voice that drove her to the brink of insanity.

She looked at him, hardly believing this was happening. She had wanted him for so long that this seemed to be yet another dream that she was going to have to wake up from soon. But no, this was real. She could tell by the way his fingers were working her up to a frenzy.

Grissom stopped what he was doing and looked into her eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked?

"Not a thing," she answered, "I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't dreaming."

He looked surprised. "Did you ever dream about me?" he asked quietly.

"Dream, fantasize, whatever word you wish to use, yes, frequently." She smiled at him. Should she ask? "Did you ever dream about me?"

He looked slightly embarrassed as he thought about how to answer her question.

"Um, yes, you could say that."

"Oh, really!" she said, surprised that she got such a candid answer. "Tell me about it!"

"No," he said. He had such a way with the word no. It was a sexy voice and the slight hesitation just prior to actually saying the word, that it always sounded like it was a question, not an answer.

"You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine!" she offered.

"Well…" he thought about it.

"You said this was for me!" she reminded him.

"OK, but just one," he replied. "One time when we were working on a case, you had come in from running and you clearly had nothing on under your jump suit. I believe a statue had fallen on you and you developed a nice bruise on your arm that day. When you were headed to the showers, I came to check on you, but you had already undressed and were stepping into the shower. I just stood there and watched for a moment, but left because I didn't want to be caught peeping at you. Especially in "that" condition!"

"What condition?"

"The condition that you cause every time I get near you!"

They laughed. Clearly, she was a very sexy woman, and she definitely had an impact on him physically.

"That morning," he continued, "I went home and jumped into the shower to try and rid myself of the vision I had just seen. But I couldn't shake you. I went to bed, and had dreams about taking off that blue jumpsuit you were wearing, kissing you all over and then taking you in the shower at work. When I woke up, all I could remember was how good you felt all wet and soapy."

Watching him tell this story, she couldn't help but notice how his eyes lit up and he seemed to be very animated in discussing how this made him feel.

She grabbed him by the hand, and moved him into the very small bathroom where she turned the water on to hot and pulled him into the stall. She grabbed the soap bar and put it in his hands and indicated that he should take charge of making sure she was clean.

He used the washcloth and soap to wash every inch of her body. He took special care of her most delicate areas and then used the wand to make sure every part of her was rinsed clean. She then took the soap and began to soap him carefully. She was surprised to find how hard he had become.

"Sara," he whispered in her ear as she gently washed his privates, "If you do that much longer, we shall have a problem."

She laughed, "Well we don't want that now do we?" she replied as she moved her attention to his legs and butt.

After determining that they had enough shower, Grissom directed them back to his bed and knelt down on the floor beside the mattress. He lifted her legs onto his shoulders, and then ever so gently, as if spreading the wings of a butterfly, he spread her lips and dove in with his tongue and teeth.

She groaned in totally ecstasy. Sure she had men do this to her before, but never with such unbridled passion as he was using. He was gentle, yet forceful. She knew he had found her magic spot and that he was slowly, tortuously slowly, taking her to an orgasm unlike any she had before. But still she worried. This was not the kind of sex she was accustomed to, and while it felt like heaven, she didn't want him thinking that she was a selfish lover who wanted nothing but her own enjoyment.

"Gil," she said, trying to find her voice, "Please honey, stop, I won't be able to control myself for much longer!"

"I want to taste you, " he replied, "don't hold back!"

"Gil, I can't, I've never…. "

"Starting now," he said in a low romantic voice, "I am here for you."

And with that, she went over the edge in an orgasm that made her feel like the earth was moving.

"Now, that was great!' he exclaimed as he climbed up her body to her neck. He began kissing her neck and massaging her breasts with his hands.

She tried to move him so that she could return the pleasure, but he held her arms to the bed and insisted that she move her legs so that he could find her entry.

She obliged him and moaned heavily as he pushed into her.

"Gil," she said breathlessly, "I think I am going to go again!" she sounded surprised.

"Good, tell me when you are ready!" he said quietly.

She looked up into his amazing blue eyes and found herself totally relaxed and ready to comply with his directions.

"Now," she said as they moved in rhythm together.

And with that, they simultaneously exploded in a huge orgasm that shook the bedframe and, to the best of her knowledge, rocked the boat.

He held her close and stroked her hair.

"Gil," she said quietly, "I have never been with anyone who loved me the way you do."

"And I promise," he said, looking deeply into her beautiful brown eyes, "I will spend the rest of my life finding every way possible to please you!"

And she believed every word he said.

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Back on schedule tomorrow and some twisty turns are ahead! Stay tuned!


	11. Chapter 11

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 11

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery._

A/N The plot thickens!

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Gil and Sara were not the only ones making good use of their spare time. Greg and Nick had gone down to the bar by the pool on the 12th deck. The view was stunning. So was the ocean!

Greg has seen a cute raven-haired girl who kept making eyes at him. Nick encouraged him to find out if she was single. After a little prompting, a relative shy-with-the-ladies Greg decided he could go up and talk to her and take a chance since he might never see her again after today.

As Greg left the perch of the bar, Nick saw Jerri walking towards him. He asked her to join him for a drink.

"OK thanks Nick," she responded.

They sat at the bar for a few minutes and Nick pointed out Greg's awkward attempt at trying to pick up the girl in the green swimsuit. Greg looked back at them and smiled. It was apparently going quite well.

"Are you guys brothers?" Jerri asked Nick.

"Nah," Nick replied, "Just work together."

"I don't believe that for a minute," Jerri replied, "You two are way too close. You act like an older brother that has to keep an eye on the younger one."

"Well, that may be true," Nick replied, "but we don't have the same parents. I do keep an eye out for him though. He's a really smart guy, but he sometimes doesn't have a lot of common sense."

"Wanna take a walk?" she suggested.

Nick was a little shocked. He thought Jerri had been making advances towards Greggo, but now it seemed he may have been wrong.

"Sure, darling," he replied in his best Texas drawl.

He stood up and offered his hand to Jerri who took it and then grabbed his arm as they walked towards the staircase leading to the next deck up.

Greg looked back and again smiled at Nick, as if giving his approval.

Greg was explaining to the younger, dark haired girl what a CSI was. She seemed to be very interested. The young woman was tall and slim, with short hair and dark eyes. He discovered that he name was Jen, that she was a dancer on the ship, and that she was from St Thomas. She was excited to tell him about her home town and some of the things he could do while he was in the port city. He offered to buy her a drink, but she declined, telling him that she needed to get a smoothie or something more healthy because she had a show coming up that evening and she needed to stay alert.

Greg offered to walk her up to the juice bar on the 13th deck near the health club to buy a smoothie and she happily accepted. Hey, she thought, he's cute and he's a cop, how could I go wrong?

They passed Nick and Jerri who were having an intense conversation over by the railing. Nick was intently focused on whatever Jerri was saying. He appeared to be captivated by her.

Greg watched as they walked away towards the elevators. Jen got his attention back by grabbing his hand. They enjoyed their smoothie and agreed to meet after the show was done later that evening for dinner on the back deck restaurant. Greg explained that if he was delayed by work, he would find her later, but that he would do his best to meet her there.

Greg walked Jen back to the main entrance to the theater and then went off in search of Nick.

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Grissom and Sara had stepped out of the shower for a second time that evening. As they were drying off, the phone given to them by Ben began to ring.

It was Ben saying he had a call from the LVPD and he was going to patch it through.

"Grissom?" the voice said from the other end, "I have something for you."

"Great Archie," Grissom said, "What do you have?"

"I'm sending you the film from the balcony. I was able to isolate the face of the perp. I have to warn you, its not good, but it gives you enough to be able to help. I also ran it through the facial recognition software, but got no matches. Sorry."

"Well thanks for all that work, Archie," Grissom said, "We'll go down to the security office and take a look at what you sent. By the way, did you get to the footage from the private pool?"

"Ah yes, and that is the interesting part, I believe it's the same woman!" Archie answered, "But I couldn't testify to it in court because the images are just too blurry to make a positive id."

"OK thanks Archie and keep working on it. See if you can get either of those images any clearer. Let me know if you get anything."

"Sure thing Griss."

"What do you think?" Grissom asked.

"I think the person in the pictures was stalking the Grants and made her move when no one was looking. Too bad we can't find a keycard access for her, that would surely help us narrow this down a little," Sara said.

"True. But we already know that the woman was allowed entry on some type of badge. Could be an employee id maybe? What other type of badge would allow you access to that type of area?"

"Police id?" she responded. "Or FBI, there are a lot of FBI agents on the ship."

"Good point," Grissom replied, "But Tanner saw the film, and I think she'd notice if one of her people matched the description of this person."

"And anyhow," Sara continued, "Almost all of her people are men. I think I saw five women total and the only one that was blonde was short and was heavier than the perp in this film."

"Agreed." Grissom said. "So where from here?"

"We need to get these photos in front of Ben and Dr. Tanner I supposes," she replied.

Grissom grabbed the phone to call Ben and asked Sara to go see if Nick and Greg were in their cabin.

By the time she got back, he had set up a meeting in the security office with Dr. Tanner and Ben.

"No Greg or Nick," she informed him.

"OK well we will have to start without them, hopefully they will show up soon."

With that, he grabbed her around the waist and planted a sinfully passionate kiss on her lips.

"Dr. Grissom," she looked at him seriously, "If you continue at this, we will surely be late for our meeting!"

He took her hand, smiled at her lovingly, and lead her out the door. "To be continued," was all he said.

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A/N So, they have to get to the identity quickly or they may find themselves without a perpetrator! Or perhaps the perpetrator may have other plans? The plot thickens! Please send me a review to let me know you are enjoying! I work much faster with reviews coming in!


	12. Chapter 12

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 12

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

_And just for the record, I have no ownership in Kool and the Gang or KC and the Sunshine Band, but they sure are great 70s music to dance to!_

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The night had turned cooler, so Nick walked Jerri down to her cabin to get a sweater. They had spent most of the evening chatting about their past. Nick told Jerri about growing up in Texas and Jerri talked about her upbringing in North Carolina. She mentioned how much she loved to travel and how St. Thomas was her very favorite island to visit while cruising. She told him that she hoped he would be available to go on the island with her, but understood that his work came first.

When they arrived at her cabin, Nick noticed that all of her gear seemed to be packed in a suitcase, as if she was leaving.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"No, I just haven't had a chance to unpack," she lied, "and I tend to travel light because if you are on space available, you may not be able to board the ship at all."

"Do you like your job?" he asked, making himself comfortable on the bed while she dug out her sweater.

"No, not really," she answered, "but it pays the bills for now."

"For now?" Nick inquired.

"As soon as my father's estate is settled, I'll be getting enough money to go back to school."

"For what?" he asked.

"Hotel management."

"That sounds like a good business to be in for someone who lives in Florida."

"Yes," she agreed, "Miami is quite a good place for hospitality, but I'd really rather live in St. Thomas."

"Well I can see how that would be a great place to live and work!" he answered.

She sat down next to him on the bed and reached over to him, placing her lips directly on his. He hesitated a moment, but quickly responded, kissing her with all of the passion of a man who had not been loved in several months. Sadly, it was true. His job was his wife and many times, he became so focused on work that he didn't pay attention to his other needs.

"Jerri," he said, breathlessly, "I don't want you to think that I'm not a gentleman," he began, "but I feel an attraction to you that I can't deny."

"I feel the same way," she answered, "but perhaps we should go walk for a bit and see if we can cool off."

"If that's what you want darling," he said with his Texas gentleman's drawl, "then that's what I will do."

"Its not really what I want," she said, breathlessly.

"I was hoping you would say that!" he responded as he took her into his arms and began to make up for the last three months.

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Greg had also been fairly well occupied. He met Jen at the cast entrance to the theater and they found themselves taking a leisurely stroll on the deck. They walked to the surf-rider, closed for the evening of course, and sat on the bench usually occupied by surfers and observers.

Greg, always the gentleman, asked if he could hold her hand. She smiled broadly and agreed. Her hands were soft, he thought. The rest of her body appeared muscular and toned. He guessed that as a dancer, she had to be very fit.

"Do you want to go dancing?" he asked.

"Actually, yes, that sounds great!" she replied.

They walked to the open dance floor near the outdoor pool and began to dance to the sounds of Kool and the Gang. Jen was happy that Greg was able to keep up with her. But she was even more happy when the music slowed down and Greg grabbed her around the waist. He was right. She was very toned and muscular.

The sounds of KC and the Sunshine Band's "Please Don't Go" were a great first slow dance song. Greg, an aficionado of history, loved anything to do with the 70s and had a deep knowledge of 70s music.

He sang the words into her ear as they snuggled in each other's arms. "If you leave, at least in my lifetime, I've had one dream come true…."

"You have some moves!" she whispered as he danced her around the floor.

The stars were bright and the moon full. They both seemed to be falling under the spell of the Caribbean sky.

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Tanner, Grissom, Sara and Ben met in the security office. Ben had ordered coffee service for all of them, considering the lateness of the hour; he figured they might need the caffeine. Once each had a cup of coffee, they sat down and reviewed the photos.

"Wait a minute," Ben said, "That looks like the same woman we saw prowling around the private pool!"

"That's what our lab tech thought too," Sara explained, "Now if we could just figure out who she is, we'd be in good shape."

"Well, there are only three thousand, five hundred people on the ship, it has to be one of them," Ben announced. "But I know where we can find the photos to match up with all of the people on the ship! The ships photo records from docking."

"Oh, do you mean the ones that they took and added to the keycard as we boarded?" Sara asked.

"Exactly those," Ben added, "Smart and Beautiful!"

Grissom raised his eyebrows at Ben.

"And taken, yes Dr. I know, but I can't help but acknowledge the beauty of both of these women that we are honored to work with."

"Well, how about you acknowledge those photo records?" Grissom suggested, aggravated by Ben's slip back into his previous ways.

"Yes, Dr, I will get them up on this computer right now."

Within moments, they had a visual record of each person who had gotten on board the ship.

"Can we sort them by age and gender?" Dr. Tanner asked.

"No," Ben replied, "this data base is not that sophisticated, "But we can visually page through and quickly eliminate anyone who is male, not blonde, or is heavy set."

"Let's get to work," Grissom instructed. He looked back at Sara and instructed her to try and find the boys.

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Sara started with their cabin. No answer. She then walked up to the midnight buffet, figuring that two strapping young men would need their nutrition. Still no luck.

Casino, she thought, I know that's where they are. But again, no luck finding her friends.

She decided to stroll the deck and see if they were enjoying the moonlight. Or if they had made friends. They were both handsome young men, she was sure she had both been able to meet some young women while they were killing time.

No luck on the deck. No luck in the cabin. No luck in the casino. The ship was too big to search every floor, so she decided to leave them a message on their cabin phone.

"Get back to work slackers." was all she said.

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She went back to the security office and assumed a seat immediately to the left of Grissom. They had begun to sort through the photos, alphabetically. At the J's and still no match.

"Well time is running low," Ben commented, "we will be in port in less than 7 hours and our criminal may be able to get away!"

"Yes, but remember every person that came on board has presented a passport, so if someone fails to reboard the ship, we will definitely know who the killer is and will be able to get them as soon as they re-enter the US."

"But St Thomas is a part of the US Virgin Islands," Sara pointed out.

"No problem," Grissom clarified, "We can simply put an APB out at the any of the island airports and should be able to find her before she leaves."

"The other option is to have the photo posted at the debarkation points and have security stop anyone who resembles the photo," Ben explained.

"Great idea Ben!" Grissom said. Let's finish these photos and then turn in. If we get a couple hours sleep, we can be ready to find her in the morning as people are debarking."

During the next hour, they came up with twenty-five possible matches. Without the manpower to go room to room, they decided to wait until morning and stop each of the potential suspects as they got off the ship in the port of Charlotte Amalie and see if they could make a match.

Ben called an early meeting for all of his security personnel, and invited Grissom and Sara to be there. Dr. Tanner had a commitment but offered any of her people that were needed to help. Ben said he would keep that in mind, but for now, he wanted to entrust his own staff to handle this delicate matter.

Ben advised the group that he would bring the captain up to date on what was happening and their plans to this point.

With that, they said goodnight and agreed to meet back at the security office promptly at 6 am.

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Grissom and Sara walked back down to their cabins. Having become acutely aware that the ship had cameras everywhere, they had tried to keep the physical contact to a minimum while in the open areas of the ship. It was challenging. They had been together for a long time, but not as a couple in love. They were desperate to once again feel the other's skin against their own.

They knocked on Greg and Nick's cabin door, this time to be answered by Greg.

"Sara," he said, "I just got your message and was headed down to security."

"Too late now Greggo," she replied, "But you and Nick had better be there at 6 am tomorrow to help out."

"I'm not sure where Nick is right now," Greg explained, "but I'll give him the message the minute I see him!"

"What do you mean you don't know where he is?" Grissom asked, impatiently.

"He was with this chick we met the other night, a hot one too by the way," he said.

"TMI Greg," Sara replied, "TMI."

"Do you know this hot chick's name?" Grissom asked.

"Jerri, I think," Greg answered.

"Jerri 'I have no last name' ?" asked Sara.

"No sorry, I didn't catch her last name. Now Jen, that one I can tell you!" Greg almost giggled with excitement.

"Pass Greg," Grissom replied, "I'm just trying to find Nick, not investigate either one of your love life."

"Not as exciting as yours I would imagine!" Greg said, then quickly tried to think of something he could say to help recover his faus pas.

"Greg!" Sara reprimanded him.

"What?" Greg answered, "I'm a CSI for crying out loud, I notice things!"

"Greg, please don't say a word!" Sara implored him.

"Sara, Grissom, I love you both," Greg began, "And I will do anything for you as long as you are both finally happy!"

"Thank you Greg," Grissom replied, "I know we can count on your discretion." He couldn't believe he had just said that to Greg Sanders. But at this point, he had no choice but to trust the young man.

"Just do me one favor," Greg asked, "Can you move to Grissom's room 'cause these walls are really thin!"

Sara slugged Greg in the chest as he laughed and slammed the door shut.

"We are so busted," she said. "Does that mean its over?"

"No, dear," Grissom responded, "You are stuck with me Miss Sidle."

"No place I'd rather be," she answered as they slid the key into the door and entered Grissom's room.

"How about you move your stuff to my place?" he asked.

She turned around to see his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Sure Griss," she answered, let me just put a few things in a bag and I'll move it over here."

"Not on the ship," he clarified, "move in with me."

She was not sure which one of them was the most shocked by his proposal.

"I'll think about it," she answered, "I've haven't lived with anyone since college, so we might have to take it slowly, see if you can handle me."

"Oh I know I can handle you! I can handle anything you throw at me - I don't care, as long as I wake up with you every morning for the rest of my life I will do whatever it takes, I don't care." He quickly closed the three steps between them, reaching for her with both arms, wrapping them around her and gently pushing her back to the bed.

It was a good thing they moved from her bed to his because the noise would have been deafening in Greg's room that night.

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A/N Where oh where did our little Nicky get to? They are about to discover who the perp really is! Stay tuned! A moment of angst followed by some more smut!

BTW, review help me post faster - click the button and leave me a message so I can be motivated to work quickly! :0)


	13. Chapter 13

So Caught Up In You

Chapter 13

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

A/N Let me preface these next couple of chapters by saying that I am not a police officer, an attorney, or a ship's employee (but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night!). I have taken some liberties with international and maritime law in order to make this tale work. Remember, it is fiction and since it is coming from by brain, Jan-law rules. Please forgive any mis-statements of law or legal issues. While I am a PhD candidate, I am not an MD, so any medical information presented is taken from the wonderful world of Wikipedia.

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Sara and Grissom had been awakened early by the movement of the ship docking in Charlotte Amalie. While both knew that urgent business needed to be taken care of, they spent a moment reveling in moment of waking up together, wrapped in each other's arms, still basking in the love from the previous evening.

Grissom held Sara tightly and pressed his lips against hers.

"Sara," he whispered, "How did I not see this? How was I so blind? I feel that my soul mate was right beside me all this time and I never knew it."

"Gil," she replied, "We can't change the past, but the future is ours. Let's embrace it and not worry about what might have been. We have each other now and that's all that matters."

"I love that," he whispered.

"What? My romantic nature?" she chuckled.

"No, hearing you say my name," he replied, smiling, "I've always hated my name, but when you say it, it makes me crazy."

She looked down at the sheets and laughed. "Oh I see!" she said. "But for now, cold shower time and off to work; but when we are done, I'll call you Gil until you explode!"

"Promises, promises." He replied as he got up and quickly got a cold shower.

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Customs had cleared the ship and the local authorities had been brought up to speed on the case that was unfolding on the ship. As a professional courtesy, they would have extra officers at the port in case there was any problem apprehending the suspect. They also received the 25 photos of possible matches in case they needed to get involved. Ben confirmed that he had the number of the Senior Investigator and would call if any help was needed. One officer, Jake West, was left on board with Dr. Tanner to be the liaison between the ship's security, the FBI, and the island police.

Sara and Grissom were, of course, early for the meeting, and were pleasantly surprised to find Nick and Greg waiting for them. Nick had gotten back to his cabin only a few moments before Greg had dragged him out. Knowing that Grissom was already peeved with Nick for disappearing the night before, Greg figured it would be good to get some brownie points for both of them.

They grabbed a cup of coffee from the stand by the door and Sara set up their computer to provide the security guards with the best information.

Grissom brought Nick and Greg up to speed from where they had left off the night before.

"So we know, based on the photos, that the perp was a blonde woman, about 5 foot 10 and slim build." Grissom continued, "We have narrowed it down to about 25 people that we will question as they leave the ship this morning."

Sara informed them that the computer was ready to go whenever they were. Ben had entered the room and had begun assembling the security staff.

Ben turned the floor over to Grissom who began to explain the situation and what needed to happen today. They went over the history of the case and the evidence gathered so far.

They began flipping through the photos of the passengers when Nick suddenly went white. Greg looked at him. They both recognized the face of Jerri Smoak.

"Ah, Sara," Nick said quietly, "I know one of those people."

Grissom finished his presentation and Ben gave the officers their instructions. They were each assigned one of the four debarkation points from the ship and were told they would be met by the CSI assigned to their doors before debarkation began.

Nick, Greg, Sara and Grissom huddled at the computer. Grissom went back over the photos until they reached the picture of Jerri Smoak.

"Yeah man," Nick said, "That's her. That's Jerri."

Grissom pulled up the film of the woman snooping around the pool, and Nick again confirmed that this was Jerri. Finally, the film that showed Janice Grant being thrown overboard, Nick took a deep breath and said "Yes, that's her."

"Nick," Grissom rubbed his forehead, fighting a migraine, "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"Grissom," Sara interrupted, "This is the first time Nick and Greg have seen the enhanced film!"

"What cabin is she in?" Grissom demanded.

"3113" replied Ben as he dashed towards the door of the room. He was followed by Nick, Grissom and Sara. Greg was instructed to stay with security until they called him and not to leave the computer.

When they reached the room, Ben used his card key to open the door. The cabin was empty. No personal belongings were left anywhere.

"Nick, what else do you know about this woman?" Griss asked.

"She's from St. Thomas, she used to live in North Carolina, she's a cruise-line employee, and she didn't seem like a murderer!" Nick replied, shaking his head.

"Mon Dieu," said Ben, "She has employee credentials, she does not need to go off on the regular debarkation points. She could have already left the ship!"

Ben looked at Grissom. "Are your people authorized to carry weapons?" he asked.

"Yes, we are all certified, level 3, and pass required testing each year," Grissom answered.

Ben grabbed his phone and called down to his assistant, ordering him to bring three handguns and meet them at the gangplank immediately.

Grissom called Greg and told him to bring the computer and meet them at the forward debarkation point as fast as he could.

They made it to the debarkation point in less than 5 minutes. Ben handed weapons to Sara and Grissom. Grissom handed his to Nick. He looked at Ben and said, "He's a better shot than I am." They waited while Ben talked to the guard at the employee exit.

Before the conversation was done, Nick caught sight of Jerri running at the end of the pier.

She had gotten off the ship and away from them.

Nick jumped the rail and ran after her. Followed directly behind by Sara.

"Keep your radio on, we'll be right behind you!" Grissom yelled after them. He knew he could not run as fast as the two younger CSIs and would be much better planning and coordinating than chasing.

Greg looked at Grissom with a bright sparkle in his eye – "Griss – My friend Jen was born and raised in Charlotte Amalie, I can go get her and she can help us get around!"

"Go Greg, come back quickly. I don't want to leave Nick and Sara out there by themselves."

"No worries, Dr. G.," Ben said quickly, "I've already made sure the local authorities are right behind them and will support them in any way possible."

Grissom breathed a sigh of relief.

He waited, very impatiently, for Greg to return with his friend.

"Jen, this is Grissom, Grissom this is Jen. I told her what was happening and she's ready to go!"

"Jen are you sure you are ok with this? I don't want you to do anything you are uncomfortable about."

Jen smiled, "My father was a cop on the island all his life, and I am a black belt in Karate. There's very little that I'm afraid of!" she responded.

"OK then, let's go get her!" Grissom said as the four of them headed down the gangway to the island paradise before them.

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A/N Well this is another fine mess you have gotten us in to!

OK Let me first promise you that in none of my fan fiction will any of our family get killed. Promise. Unless its maybe Ecklie 'cause I just hate him like that! So while the next couple chapters may be a little angsty, there is no character death. Feel free to read on and review!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

This one is rather short, but it has a purpose. Stay with me until I get everyone in place! No CSI characters die in any of my writing, so read on without worry!

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They had barely reached the end of the dock when a police cruiser pulled up and offered them a ride. Jake had called ahead to his partner Cody Johnson to meet them and assist in any way possible.

Cody was a great driver and was very knowledgeable about how to get around the city. He explained that the area they were approaching would be full of tourists and that they would have to keep their eyes peeled for their criminal.

Sara radioed Grissom and advised him that she and Nick were still following Jerri and were headed up Veteran's Drive towards the old post office. Cody knew exactly where to go from there. He turned the flashing blue lights and siren on and made quick time to where Nick and Sara were debating which way to go.

Jen pointed out that the 99 Steps was just off to the right and if she was looking for somewhere to hide, the tourists, the gardens, and Blackbeard's Castle seemed to provide a good place to get lost.

Cody got on the radio and sent out a blast about where they were and what they were looking for ad for all police in the area to be on the look out. Moments later, another officer confirmed that he had seen a woman matching Jerri's description heading up the 99 Steps towards the castle.

Ben and Cody laughed.

"Not really sure what is funny right now," Grissom asked.

"Jerri may be an islander, but she has probably been stateside for a while, and I would bet that she doesn't know that security cameras and web cameras were added to all of this area after the Amber Museum was added!"

"Web cameras?" asked Grissom.

"Yes, for the tourists to send live streaming video home from certain historical spots on the island." Jake explained.

"We got her!" Greg smiled.

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Dr. Tanner stayed at the ship waiting for word from the investigators on the island or from the mainland.

She received a call from Catherine Willows.

"Dr. Tanner?" she confirmed, "I have a background report on Jerri Smoak."

"Great. What have you got?" Dr. Tanner asked.

"Its not good. Geraldine Smoak is one unbalanced character," Catherine began, "She was tried and acquitted due to insanity in the death of her father ten years ago. She was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia, which is, as you know, a disease that is characterized by a confusion of thought processes and of emotional responses. Her problems were mostly manifested as paranoia and hallucinations. She was treated and released by the North Carolina criminal justice system as being fully rehabilitated…as long as she stays on her meds."

"Not good at all," Dr. Tanner agreed. "I'll get in touch with Dr. Grissom and let him know what they are dealing with."

"OK thanks, and please have him touch base with me when they get back on the ship."

Dr. Tanner made a quick call to Grissom.

"She's got problems Dr. Grissom. Your Catherine Willows just called me, and she found out that Jerri was convicted of the death of her father 10 years ago in North Carolina, but found to be not guilty due to insanity, due to the fact that she was schizophrenic. After rehabilitation and under medication, she was released."

"That's not good. But thanks for the information." Grissom replied.

He revealed the information to the group in the car.

"Um, Griss," Greg spoke in a hushed and serious voice, "We may have a problem."

"Now what?" Grissom said, "We don't need any more problems Greg!"

"I think Nick may have spent the night with Jerri last night," Greg whispered.

"Oh my God," Grissom replied, "Could this get any better?"

The phone rang again.

"Grissom," he answered. "She's what?" A look of panic ran over his face. "OK We'll be right there."

"Griss, what's wrong?" Greg asked.

"We need to get to the Amber Museum. Jerri has Sara and is holding her hostage."

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A/N Dun-dun-duh The plot has thickened. How can Grissom loose her now that his had found the love of his life? Cliff-hangers suck! But the faster I hear from you, the faster I will write the rest of the story!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

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Cody radioed ahead for help. They reached the Amber Museum and parked the car near the entrance. They ran in and were pointed to the back room. As they entered, they saw Nick standing with his gun drawn, pointed at Jerri. Jerri, in turn, had Sara's gun pointed at her.

Nick was talking.

"Jerri, honey let her go, she's my friend and she won't hurt you, I promise darling."

"She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" Jerri yelled.

"No honey, she's just like a sister to me, I'd never cheat on you!" he said with a voice like he was talking to a young child.

"I don't believe you!" Jerri screamed and held the gun to Sara's head.

The noise of people entering the room gave Sara a break and she used her elbow to try to take down Jerri. She stamped on her foot and tried to grab the gun simultaneously.

"Bitch," Jerri yelled as she smacked Sara with the butt of the gun. She winded Sara, but Sara was strong and she didn't give up. Jerri cocked the gun and pointed it directly at Sara's head. "Bitch," she said, "if you don't do as I tell you, I'm going to blow your fucking brains all over this museum."

Grissom approached Nick and asked, in a whisper, what had happened.

Nick explained that they had corned Jerri in the museum, but a security guard had come in and in the process of trying to apprehend Jerri, the guard had become confused about who was the perpetrator and who were the police as they didn't have any badges or id with them. Jerri had used the confusion to approach Sara from behind and somehow during the struggle, she got Sara's gun. The guard ended up getting shot.

"Who is that?" Jerri demanded.

"Jerri," Nick continued, "This is my friend Grissom, and he's here to help you!"

"I'm not Jerri, I'm Geraldine," she responded, fear and anger resounded in her voice.

Nick looked at Grissom, confusion in his face.

"She's schizophrenic, Nick," Grissom whispered, "She doesn't know what she is doing."

Meanwhile, Jen and Greg had taken the back entrance. Jen told Greg that she had worked the Blackbeard's Castle Park for two summers in college and she knew her way around.

They entered the room quietly but Nick and Grissom both saw them through the glass case surrounding the Amber display.

Suddenly, Jerri noticed the flash of acknowledgement in Nick's face and saw Greg and Jen coming in from behind.

"Tell them to stop or I'll shoot your girlfriend!" she yelled at Nick.

"OK honey, its no problem, they've stopped," Nick said, "I just need for you to let Sara go. She hasn't done anything to you sweetheart and I promise, you are the only woman in my life."

"Don't patronize me Nicholas," Jerri responded, "Look how pretty she is, why would you ever choose me over her?"

"Because you are the most beautiful woman I've seen," Nick lied, "and because we have a special connection Jerri."

"Geraldine," she corrected.

"Come on now sweetheart, let Sara go, and we'll go have a drink and talk this over," Nick offered. "Look Geraldine, the cops will be here in a minute, there's no way out of here, so please just let her go and let's talk."

Wrong thing to say.

Jerri tried to walk past Nick and Grissom, but she knew she was outnumbered.

"Back away from me," she demanded, pointing the gun once again at Sara's head, "Or I'll blow her brains out!"

Sara looked at Nick and Grissom, she was calm and appeared to be recovered from the pistol whipping she had just taken.

Grissom was almost sick. He had finally found a way to acknowledge his deep love for Sara, he wasn't going to loose her now! He looked at Sara, and instead of seeing fear and pain, he saw the strongest, bravest woman he had ever known. Sara was clearly assessing her situation and trying to find a way to use her weaponless defense training to try and get the upper hand.

"Geraldine," Grissom said, "We know about Janice Grant, we know you pushed her off the balcony, we know that you are sick, we understand and we can help you!"

"She was a bitch and she deserved to die. She called me stupid. I hate it when people call me stupid," Geraldine explained.

"Everyone here knows that you are not stupid," Grissom continued, "and we know that you can't control your anger sometimes. We can help you!"

"I don't need your pity! I just need to get my father's money so I can go on with my life!" Geraldine said, tears streaming down her face.

"Take her," Geraldine yelled, shoving Sara into Nick and Grissom, knocking them all over with the force she used.

Geraldine began to run, through the museum and up the 99 Stairs towards Blackbeard's Castle Monument.

"Follow me," Jen yelled as she, Greg, Nick, all took off running behind Geraldine.

"You ok?" Grissom asked as he helped Sara up from the floor.

"Yes, I'm going after her," said Sara as she kissed Grissom on the cheek and added, "and yes, I will move in with you. I'm not going to miss another minute of life without you!"

With that, she took off behind the others, with Grissom following behind her.

The CSIs all ran after Jerri - Nick and Sara, followed by Greg and Jen and then Grissom behind.

As they reached the cross street, Cody pulled up in the police car and picked up Grissom. He radioed Nick that he was in the car and would meet up at the front of the castle.

They pulled up just as Jerri ran past the castle and the big iron statue of Blackbeard and jumped onto a tourist bus that had just emptied its passengers into the courtyard in front of the castle.

She pulled out her gun and stuck it to the driver's head, telling him to pull out.

The group arrived at the top of the courtyard just in time to see the bus pull away. Cody swung the car around and picked up the group and peeled out after the bus.

Ben radioed to the police officers who had just begun to arrive on the scene that they were in pursuit of the suspect and the direction they headed in.

It was difficult for Cody to keep up with the bus. The port was full of tourists and the streets were crowded with tour busses and open cab jeeps that were used to tour the city. Not to mention the fact that the market was going on, the downtown area of Charlotte Amalie was like a maze that had to be maneuvered.

But Cody was a pro, and he did not loose track of the bus. The police cut the bus off, causing it to careen down towards the private entrance to Paradise Point. Ben again radioed that it was important to get to her before she got to Paradise Point due to the number of tourists that would be sitting targets for her if she reached the top of the point.

Jen suggested to Cody that he take the back road up to the private homes right behind the point. They reached the parking lot just seconds behind the bus.

They rounded the corner to see the huge building in tacky tourist colors, home of the skyride that took tourists from the harbor to the top of the best view in the area where drinks, dinner, shopping and other touristy experiences waited for cruise customers with money and time to spare.

Jerri noticed them behind her and jumped off the bus, running towards the point just as the police were pulling into the parking lot. Jerri jumped the fence and headed towards the skyway. She was followed closely behind by Nick, Sara and Greg. Jen had been told to stay with Cody in the car.

Crossing the barrier fence, Nick yelled out "Police, stop" to try to get the tourists gathered to get out of the way in case Jerri decided to try and take another hostage.

Jerri didn't stop. She headed right towards the skyway and jumped into a car that was headed down the mountain. The cars were glass enclosed egg shaped vehicles that, like a ski lift, worked their way down the mountain on cables suspended between tall metal towers.

Once the car reached the bottom of the mountain, Jerri would be out of sight again. Nick radioed to Ben that they were going to hop on the next car and head down behind Jerri. He told Ben to have police stake out the parking lot entrance at the lower end of the ride. Cody was going to keep his car and one other police car at the top of the skyway in case she turned around and came back up.

The cars ran a short distance apart. Jerri turned to see Nick and the other CSIs get onto the next car.

As she came upon the first tower, Jerri forced the door open and stuck the gun in her belt.

"She's going to jump!" Sara exclaimed.

Nick leaned out the door of their car and yelled, "Jerri, don't do it! We can help you!"

Jerri looked up, tears in her eyes, and mouthed to Nick, "I'm sorry," and jumped towards the tower.

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A/N NO! Not another cliff hanger! This was my first attempt at an action sequence. Let me know how it worked out! I wonder what is going to happen from here? Does she survive the jump? Hmmmm… leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

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A/N Because I love my readers, I decided to give you a longer story than originally planned. I hope you continue to read, enjoy and review!

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"Did you see that?" Sara yelled.

"Yeah she jumped, how the hell does someone do that?' Nick replied, almost in tears.

"No, before she jumped, she looked right at Griss."

"Yeah, I did see that," Nick replied. They both looked at Grissom to see if he had also noticed.

"No, she was looking at Nick," was Grissom's only reply. He then grabbed the radio and let Cody know what had happened.

"The suspect jumped from the skyway to the tower and successfully descended the tower to the woods below. We saw her heading west, limping, in the wooded area below the tram."

"We'll get her from this end then," Cody replied, "I'm alerting the uniforms on foot to be on the lookout."

"Man, she is seriously sick," Nick commented.

"Nick, is there something you need to tell us?" Grissom asked.

"Griss, I'm sure you know already," Nick said, his head hanging, "but I got involved with her. She seemed so nice and normal."

"I'm not worried about that Nick, I'm worried about you!" Grissom explained. Nick looked up, surprised to receive this much emotional attention from his boss. Usually, Grissom was aloof when it came to matters of the heart, but clearly, he had been changed by this sudden turn about in the relationship with Sara.

"Griss, I'm just bad at choosing the right woman for relationships," he admitted, "I'm bound to be a bachelor for the rest of my life."

"At one time, I would have agreed with you about my future," Griss added, but then putting his arm around Sara's back, he smiled and said, "But be patient and when the right woman comes along, don't be afraid to do what your heart tells you to do."

Sara beamed from ear to ear. She couldn't believe that Grissom had just acknowledged their relationship in front of their colleagues. Greg and Nick looked at Sara, and took great pleasure in her smile. She was one of the best friends they had ever had and seeing her happy, at last, was enough to take some of the sting from the rest of the day away.

"As a matter of fact," Grissom added, "with all of the beauty around us on this gorgeous island, I would like to ask Sara a question in front of you, our friends."

Sara looked shocked.

"Sara," he continued, "When Jerri had you at gunpoint, I realized that I would never miss another moment of life without you. Please, do me the honor of marrying me. I don't have a ring right now, but I'm following my heart, and I know that this is the right time, place, and company to let you know that I never want to be without you ever again."

The cart was silent.

They all turned to look at Sara, who had tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Yes, Gil, Yes!" she enthusiastically replied.

"Yes!" Greg and Nick did a high five and patted Griss on the back as he hugged his fiancé.

"Dude, it's about time!" Greg added as the tram pulled into the station.

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Cody met them in the small parking lot at the bottom of Paradise Point. They all hopped in the car and headed towards the police station.

Jerri had disappeared into the woods and private homes below the tramway. While the police thought they had her corned in a private yard, she was not going to be caught that easily.

Cody took the group to police headquarters where their statements were taken and contact information provided.

Cody thanked Grissom and his team for all of their efforts and offered medical attention to Sara as the bruise from where her head had met the butt of the gun was bruised and angry looking.

Sara declined the offer of medical attention and graciously accepted Cody's thanks.

Cody arranged from transportation back down to the cruise port and saw them to the door. As Nick, Jen, Greg, Ben and Sara got into the van, Grissom shook Cody's hand one more time and they appeared to have an intense conversation about something that could not be heard by the others.

When he joined them in the van, Sara asked what that was about.

"Butterflies, dear, just butterflies," he responded.

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As they boarded the ship, Ben had to speak for the group as they had left without scanning their cards.

Dr. Tanner was waiting for them in the security office. She was mesmerized by their story of the Amber Museum and the skyway. She looked at Sara's head and suggested that a visit to the ship's Doctor might be in order. This time, with a slight arm twisting from Grissom, she agreed.

Nick and Greg returned to their cabin to rest from the events of the day. They were both asleep within 10 minutes.

Sara was checked out and released by the ships Doctor, with a warning to go easy for a couple of days.

She and Grissom returned to the adjoining cabins and got snuggled up on Grissom's bed.

"Now, maybe its just because I bumped my head, but did you really propose back there?" she asked.

"Yes dear," he replied.

"Were you serious?" she questioned.

"Would I have asked in front of Nick and Greg if I wasn't serious?" he answered.

"No, you wouldn't have."

"Sara," he paused to collect his thoughts, "I know you didn't have a great example of what a marriage should be, but I promise, you will never regret marrying me. I love you more than life itself and I will do everything within my power to make every day with you a better day than the day before."

"Gil, are those your words?" she asked, heart full of emotion for what it took for him to search his heart and soul to reveal his own feelings without using the words of Shakespeare or any of the many authors he loved to quote.

"That, my dear, is the gospel according to me, Gil Grissom, the man who loves you."

And with that, he reached over, treating her to a deep and passionate kiss. And, taking it very easy, they made love, each gentle caress conveying the depth of the total love and respect that they had for each other. Completely and totally unaware that there was anyone else in the world at that exact moment.

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A/N And you thought it was over. LOL We still have about 5 or 6 chapters to go! Hmmm… I wonder what happened to Jerri? And Geraldine? I guess you will have to stay tuned to find out! And please, leave me a review!

I'm ecstatic to say that a few new names have added me on the author/story alert. Thank you! It would mean the world to me if you would drop me a line and let me know how I'm doing!


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

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Smut alert! As a gift to Billy P for his birthday, Grissom is gonna get it good today!

Please read, enjoy and review! But if you don't like smut, please skip this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!

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The two lovers were awakened by a knock at the door.

"Greg," Grissom grumbled, "I'll put him on decomp for the next 6 months if this is not important!"

He opened the cabin door to find Andrea, their steward at the door with a small package in her hand. She stretched her neck to determine if he was alone or not. Clearly he was not.

She asked him if he could step out into the hall for a moment.

"Right back," he called to Sara as he stepped into the hallway.

"This is a gift from the Captain and the cruiseline," Andrea began, "The captain heard of the heroic measures you and your team took to try and capture the killer, and then when Ben told him about the proposal on the skyway, he knew he had just the right way to thank you both!"

He popped open the box and was stunned to see a beautiful platinum and diamond ring with accents of the purple stone called tanzanite.

"I hope you will accept this gift as a token of our thanks and with all of the best wishes for you and Miss Sidle. We hope you will remember us fondly!" she said with her beautiful lilt.

Grissom was stunned. He thanked her and asked that he express his deepest gratitude to the captain for his generous gift.

He closed the door behind him and opened the door to the balcony.

"Sara," he said quietly, "I have something to show you, will you come here please?"

She wrapped the robe around her almost naked body and stepped into the sunlight.

"Dear, remember when I told you that I didn't have a ring…." He began.

"Gil," she interrupted, "I'm not the kind of girl that needs a ring!"

"I know that, but I just received the most thoughtful gift from the captain and the cruise line, and I can't think of anyone who deserves it more than you!"

He opened the box and the light from the sun caught the diamond stones, making them sparkle brilliantly.

Her breath was taken away by the sight of the ring, and of the handsome man offering it to her.

"Sara, I'd like to get down on one knee and ask you properly, but I'm afraid, my knees won't let me do that!" he began, "But I'm serious, please, tell me again that you will marry me. The thought of almost loosing you was too much to stand. I need you in my life. I will never be able to go back to being the selfish man I was before I discovered my life with you in it."

Again, tears began to flow down Sara's face. She hadn't cried this much in years. But they were happy tears.

"Yes, Gilbert," she answered, "I've never been more happy than I have been spending my days and nights with you. You complete me. I would love to marry you!"

He placed the ring on her finger and kissed her passionately, taking her hand, leading her back to the bed. As the robe dropped off her shoulders, he knew he could die in her arms and be happy for being there.

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About an hour later, the phone rang. It was Nick, asking if they were ready to go to dinner.

The ship had pulled out of port and Nick had found a restaurant that was available for reservations on the top deck where they could watch the sunset.

Grissom and Sara went up to the restaurant, hand in hand, and found the table already occupied by Nick and Greg,

"Where's Jen?" Sara asked.

"She has to work tonight, but she said she would show us St Maarten tomorrow," he replied.

Suddenly, Nick noticed the ring.

"Sara, that ring is bigger than a cow's eyes on milking day!" he said.

Greg also noticed and made a gesture as if he had to cover his eyes due to the sparkle from the diamond.

"It was a gift!" she explained.

"Yeah, I'll bet it was!" said Nick, quickly followed by Greg asking, "What did he get in return?"

"That's enough, gentleman," Grissom said in his best supervisor voice. "Leave the lady alone."

After they had finished eating, Grissom pointed out that they did have work to do on this ship. "Dr. Tanner and I are meeting this evening to go over the materials most important to the training of these new agents. We will do one full and one half day of lectures and labs and try to cover the most critical materials."

Everyone seemed to be ok with this. After all, it was the only reason they had been invited on this cruise. Any anyhow, working and learning from Grissom was always educational, if nothing else.

But there was one day for relaxation, and they were going to take full advantage of everything the island had to offer.

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The boys decided to go back to the casino, this type to play blackjack and have a beer to release the stress from the day.

They agreed to meet Jen at the debarkation point at 8 am so that they could go have breakfast in Jen's favorite beach restaurant. She promised it to be very romantic and that the coffee was excellent!

Grissom had thanked Jen for her help and appeared to be asking her something about St. Maarten. Within moments, he was back to Sara. He wrapped his arm around her and asked if she would like to join him for a stroll on deck.

They walked around the outside deck, grabbing a cup of tea each and heading back towards their cabin.

Grissom grabbed Sara and began to kiss her neck, careful not to touch the knot where the gun had hit her head.

"Griss," she whispered, "I need a shower in the worst kind of way!"

"Ok, go ahead," he said, "You are worth waiting for!"

"Who are you and what have you done with Gil Grissom," she laughed.

He shrugged, "You brought out a new side of me!"

She kissed his cheek and headed for the shower.

Griss picked up the phone and called Ben, asking him to meet in the 7th floor lounge as soon as he could.

Ben agreed, so Griss left Sara a quick note saying he had to get something from below and be'd right back.

As she stepped out of the bathroom, Grissom handed her a glass of wine.

"Pour Vous," he said in his very best French accent.

"Merci, monsieur," she replied.

"A toast to us." he suggested.

He grabbed her with his empty hand and pulled her close. He set their wine glasses down on the side table. He waltzed her over to the bed and lifted her so gently, she was light as a feather, and placed her gingerly on the bed. He leaned over her and kissed her lips. He was intoxicated by her.

"My turn to shower." he said.

As he turned the hot water on and stepped in to the running stream, he felt a pair of hands on his shoulder. He turned to see a completely naked Sara right behind him.

"It's a small shower." he exclaimed.

"We don't need much room," she replied in her husky, 'make love to me' voice that he had come to recognize and love.

While the shower stall was small, it didn't take long for them to get lathered up and the tight quarters actually made it more fun, trying to be creative.

For his part, Grissom knew that Sara was more adventurous than he had ever been, but he accepted this with great pleasure. He had sex with many women in his life, but none were quite as focused on pleasing him as Sara. He had to learn to relax and allow her to lead some of the time. He felt he was changing and growing each moment he spent with her. And his sexuality was a big surprise to him. He'd never felt so utterly and completely "taken" with a woman. He knew that his life with Sara would be different from anything he'd experienced before, but he was willing to give over his heart and his body to her and allow her to teach him as he had taught her.

After getting their bodies completely clean, Sara slowly sank down to her knees and began to tease his erection with her lips and her tongue. He leaned against the wall of the shower, trying to make sure that his knees didn't give away!

She pleased him so much. She used her lips to drive him to the brink of orgasm and then slowed it down to the point where he thought he would go crazy. Once he had gained his composure, she took him there again. This time, he knew he could feel the small gap in her teeth on him and it sent shivers down his spine. This was the woman he had loved for so long now demonstrating her love for him, her desire to please him in this most intimate way. He wanted to explode right there, but he was a gentleman and knew, from previous experiences, that would not be acceptable.

But Sara was not most women. She wanted to taste him. She wanted him to be completely fulfilled. And so she drove him on with her motions and her massaging in just the right places until finally, he could hold out no longer and exploded. She didn't run away. She seemed to enjoy him. And when he had finally completely succumbed to her ministrations, she looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh God Sara, I've never…" he began.

"Shh.. " she replied, "you aren't the only one who enjoyed it!"

With that he let out a low growl, picked her up, and without so much as a towel, carried her to the bed where he demanded her to lay on her back.

He stood their, eyes fixed on her womanhood. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He had wanted her for so long, had so many fantasies about her, had dreamed of this moment, but now, it was real.

He looked at her face, her eyes huge with anticipation of what was to happen next. He moved down to her long, elegant neck, her beautiful, pert breasts, her flat and toned stomach and then the treasure he had been waiting for. He could wait no longer.

Using his fingers, he found that she was already aroused. Using his tongue and his lips, he gently sucked and licked until he heard her moaning. He then added his fingers to her core to ensure that he got a full response from her body.

"Gil, I ah, oh god, I'm…." she mumbled.

"Come for me baby," he replied.

And she did.

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"Dr. Grant," Nick said as he noticed the older man in the wheelchair sitting at a blackjack table by himself, "Can we join you?"

"Yes," said the older man.

Having been on his own for the last two days, Dr. Grant had made a concerted effort to talk more and he was finding it easier and easier to communicate as he kept practicing and pushing himself to do it.

"Are you doing ok sir?" Nick asked.

"Yes," he replied, "Still in shock I guess."

"Is there anything you need? Can we help you at all?" Greg asked.

"Just a winning hand for now," Dr. Grant replied. He wasn't used to having strangers be kind to him. Janice drove most people away very quickly. But these young men seemed to genuinely want to help. Perhaps he could let them in. He decided to wait and decide after he watched them play cards. After all, he thought, the way a man gambles says a lot about the way he leads his life.

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Well now, does anyone else feel the need for a shower? Let's just call it birthday sex for Billy P! More tomorrow.

Thanks so much for the great reviews and for the adds on the favorites list. I'm touched but your comments and motivated to keep writing.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

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Let me start this chapter with some deep gratitude for Peggy47. I do not have a beta reader and Peggy47 was kind enough to point out some inconsistencies in my story. While I have taken some liberties to make the story work, Peggy47's advice is well taken, so I am going to rectify

And honestly, I do have every part of this story ready to wrap up in a few chapters!

Thank you all for staying with me, reading, and reviewing. I hope you continue to enjoy!

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After meeting with Dr. Tanner to establish the plans for the training on the next sea days, Grissom returned to the cabin and he and Sara decided to sit on the balcony and talk.

"Gilbert," Sara said in a very quiet voice, "What's on your mind?" She knew something was bothering him because he had returned to his reserved personality.

"I'm worried."

That was not a good sign, she thought to herself. Surely he wasn't regretting his actions. It wouldn't be unprecedented. She recalled several times when they had come close to crossing the line and beginning a relationship. And true, things had moved very quickly. But surely all that they had shared in the past and what they had created here on the ship, had to mean something to him.

"Ok, spill it Dr. Grissom," she said, taking a deep breath.

"The ring."

Oh, no, here it comes, she thought to herself. She fought the urge to run, or cry, or … no she was Sara, she was strong, and whatever he had to say, she was ready for it.

"What about the ring?" she asked.

"I don't know what I was thinking, but I don't think we, I mean, I, should have accepted it," he said quietly.

She took a deep breath and slipped the ring off her finger.

"Gilbert," she answered, "I already told you, I'm not the kind of girl that needs a ring! My love for your is not going to be measured by the size of a diamond."

"Sara," he replied, pulling her towards him, and settling her in his lap on his chair, "If you love the ring, I want you to have it. So I talked to Ben and made an arrangement to pay for it."

"Gil," she said, "its just too much!"

"First of all, there is no such a thing as too much as far as you are concerned. And second, money is not a concern. I have enough for both of us to live happily for quite some time."

She was stunned by his answer.

"Grissom," she said, standing up from his lap, "I don't need to be taken care of…"

"Sh…" he put his finger up to her lips and pulled her back to his lap. "I'm not asking to take care of you, I'm asking you to be my partner. And to be my partner, you should know all of the facts."

"I love you Gilbert," she whispered in his ear, kissing his jaw line and nibbling on his neck.

"Sara," he scolded, "we need to discuss this…."

"I'm happy with what ever you decide Gil," she whispered in his ear, "I agree that a gift of this size is not appropriate and I will give it back without any reservation."

"I want you to have it," he smiled at her, "So I will have Ben handle the arrangements to pay for the ring, and let the captain know that, while we appreciate his generous offer, in order to remain in compliance with our policy, we must pay for the ring."

"Thank you, Gil," she said, slipping the ring back on her finger, "I will treasure it forever."

"If love be treasure, we'll be wondrous rich*," he replied.

She smiled at him, stood again, this time taking his hand and leading him into the cabin and to the bed.

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Greg and Nick had developed a rapport with Dr. Grant. They had taken their friendly conversation to the bar at the casino lobby. Greg and Nick both felt badly for this man. He had clearly been traumatized by the events of the past days. But he seemed to be doing better as the evening went by. They were drinking, but not heavily, and enjoying the conversation.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Greg asked the Doctor.

"I'm going to stay on the ship and think about what I am going to do with my life," he replied.

"Well, Dr. Grant," Nick replied, "If you need anything, let us know."

"I will son. And thanks for trying to help out an old man," he said, very sincerely, as he left the bar.

"He's hiding something," Greg confided to Nick.

"I agree," replied Nick, "Let's see what we can find out tomorrow."

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The sun came up the next morning over the island of St. Maarten. It was stunning. Jen led the group off the ship at the first light. They walked through the port with its bustling shops and cafes. They grabbed the first water taxi over to the beach, where Jen lead them to Chateau Holland.

The Chateau was situated directly on the beach, just off Front Street in downtown Phillipsburg. A luxury hotel, the dining room was elegant, yet somewhat casual in atmosphere. The dining area was set up with wooden tables and benches with thick fabric cushions and linen drapes hanging around the perimeter. The drapes were blowing in the gentle beach breeze and the smell of fresh coffee wafted through the air.

The team sat down at a large table and opened the menu. The options were exceptional, even for Sara and Jen who were both vegetarians. When the food was ordered and the coffee delivered, and the baskets of fresh pastries placed on the table, the group began to discuss their plans for the day.

Jen had rented a jeep and was prepared to take the group on an island tour. The island consisted of two sides, French and Dutch. They were currently sitting in the heart of the Dutch side of the island. Marigot, the major city on the French side was the goal for the afternoon.

After enjoying the open air ride through the hilly countryside of the island, lunch was purchased at the open air market. Everyone except for Jen had a beer and a sandwich. They sat on the benches and watched the boats come in and out of the harbor and discussed how beautiful the island was.

Sara looked around, and realized Gil was gone. She mentioned to the others that one of their party appeared to have disappeared, so they gathered up their garbage, disposed of it in the bins, and went to find Dr. Grissom.

They found him around the corner from the market at a green park, bent over, looking at something on the ground. They all stopped dead in their tracks. Sara, Greg, and Nick began to laugh so hard, it seemed that they were going to cry. Jen looked puzzled.

"A butterfly? Really Gris, A butterfly?" Greg asked.

"It's a Pieridae Ascia Orseis," Grissom said, sounding amazed.

"Wow," said Greg, "A Pyrenees?"

"No, a Pieridae Ascia Orseis**,**, a tropical white butterfly, but look, its got red wing tips!" he said excitedly.

Sara grabbed her camera and took her place by Grissom's side, snapping photos and watching Grissom pick the butterfly up and carefully examine it while it sat on his hand.

"Its beautiful!" Sara commented.

Greg looked over at Jen and smiled, "Entomologist."

"Ah, then I know where we should go next," she replied.

Once the photos were taken, they got back into the jeep and headed towards the French coast and pulled in to a brightly signed parking lot marked as "The Butterfly Farm."

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the Butterfly Garden, searching out brightly colored specimens, taking photographs, shopping in the gift store and just having a wonderful, laid back day. Grissom bought a butterfly necklace for Lindsey, butterfly earrings for his mother, a butterfly tie for Doc Robbins and for Catherine, a framed print of the most vivid rainbow over the park with butterflies in the garden. He also snuck an extra copy of that print in his package and asked it to be delivered to his office at the LVPD.

When Jen announced that it was time to head back to the ship, they all agreed that they would have to come back to this island one day so that they could finish seeing all of the sights.

The trip back to the boat was quiet. The group was amazed at how poor this area of the island was as opposed to the wealthy area in which they had their lunch. No yachts or Mercedes' here.

While the houses were run down and the people were dressed in shabby clothing, they all smiled and waved as the jeep drove through the area. Jen told them that the islanders, her people, were strong, independent and resilient.

They arrived back at the port and stopped for French crepes and duty free shopping before reboarding. The crepes, made by a diminutive Frenchman, were light and delicious, especially the ones selected by the girls that were covered in island guavaberry jam. Nick and Greg opted for the chocolate, and Gris, the nutella.

Once everyone was back on board, the team agreed to meet for dinner to discuss the next days' events.

They all thanked Jen for being an excellent tour guide and Sara, who had connected with Jen over their vegetarian lifestyle, told her to come to Vegas any time and she would repay the favor.

Jen and Greg wandered off to chat for a few moments before she had to leave to get ready for the show.

Nick, Grissom and Sara all decided it was time for a quick swim, and went back to their cabins to find their swimsuits.

"I'll be ready in 10 minutes guys, no fooling around before swimming ok?" Nick asked.

"Why, did you mom tell you it would give you cramps if you swim within an hour of having sex?" Sara asked, laughing as she kissed Grissom on the cheek.

"Ew," Nick said, "TMI, I need an brain bath now to get rid of that visual! I'm going to change and be out in 10 minutes, you had better be out here."

Sara laughed and grabbed Nick's hand, kissing him on the cheek and gently telling him, "I love you too Nicky," and then disappeared into her cabin.

It had been a perfect day.

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A/N I promise not to spend tooooooo much time on the classes and more time in the bedroom! Thanks again for reading guys! More tomorrow! And of course, lovin' will be involved!

*_Thomas Otway (3 March 1652 – 14 April 1685) was an __English__dramatist__ of the __Restoration__ period, best known for __Venice Preserv'd__, or A Plot Discover'd (1682)._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

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_Smut alert Smut alert_

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As promised, Nick was at Sara's door within 10 minutes in black trunks and a white tank top. Sara came to the door in a dark brown bikini, covered with a sarong and flip flops. Nick took one look at her and let out a long wolf whistle.

"Sar," he said, "you clean up really nice there darling!'

"You aren't so bad yourself Nicky," she replied.

"Is Griss ready?" Nick asked.

"No, he's going to be a few minutes, so let's go ahead," she said.

They walked down the pool and grabbed three deck chairs. They signed out three towels.

"I left Greggo a note," Nick mentioned, "But I think he is going to the show tonight."

"I sure would like one of those Pina Coladas over there," Sara told Nick.

"Your wish is my command," he smiled as he stood up and walked over to the bar.

While he was getting her drink, Sara stood up and removed the sarong. She was gorgeous in a bikini. Her long torso, well-defined muscles, and slim build was almost perfect for the suit she had selected. She has her hair up in a loose pony-tail, with strands falling down, framing her face and accentuating her brown eyes.

Nick was not the only man at the pool who had noticed.

Within minutes of her removing the sarong, a young man approached her and asked if the chair beside her was taken.

"Yes it is, I'm sorry," she answered him.

"Well he must be a lucky man!" the young man answered.

"That's very kind of you," Sara replied with a dazzling smile.

"Could I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"Oh, that's very sweet of you, but my friend has me covered," she answered, beginning to feel just a little uncomfortable.

Nick looked over his shoulder and saw that Sara was being hit on. He waved at her and she gave him an overly friendly wave back.

About a minute later, Grissom showed up, book in hand, and began to seat himself in the chair immediately to the right of Sara.

"Excuse me sir," the young man said to Grissom, "This young lady said that these chairs are taken." Clearly he was trying to be gallant and earn brownie points with the beautiful young woman who had clearly captivated him.

"Yes, son," Grissom said, assessing the situation for exactly what it was, "I know."

Nick came back, carrying her drink, and took a seat to the left of Sara.

Taking a look at Nick, the size of his muscular arms and toned abs, the young man decided he was outclassed and wished them a good day, telling Nick he was a very lucky man.

As he left, Nick and Grissom looked at each other and laughed.

"I guess I'm going to have to get used to that," Grissom said, smiling to himself with the knowledge that this beautiful woman was his. After all of the dancing around the subject, all the flirting, all the teasing, he finally had the nerve to do something 'about this' and it had paid off in a big way. He couldn't remember ever being so happy.

Nick and Sara went for a dip while Grissom sat back reading his book.

Nick swam up to Sara and looked at her very seriously.

"What Nick?" Sara asked.

"Nothing Sara, I just…" Nick paused, "I just want to be sure that you are happy."

"Nick," she began, "I have never been so happy in my whole life, and I'm not exaggerating."

"I don't want you to get hurt, darling," said the Texan, "but you deserve to be happy. And if Grissom is what makes you happy, I'm all for it."

"He does Nick," she replied, "He balances me perfectly."

"Now that's a tough job!" he said, laughing, as he ducked the water that was being splashed at him by his friend. They both laughed, that comfortable laugh that best friends share, and got out of the pool.

Grissom looked at Sara, appreciatively, his eyes sparkling with delight. He was amazed how his body had spent the last couple days responding to her every time she was near. He had no idea that he was still able to get aroused so many times in one day.

All he knew for sure was that he wished they were alone right now as he covered his lap with the towel and the book.

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As it was formal night, they all dressed for dinner in black tie clothing.

Grissom was incredibly handsome in his black suit and blue tie. His electric blues eyes were accentuated by the blue of his shirt.

Nick and Greg showed up at the door of the cabin also looking very handsome. Both had worn their court suits, complete with white shirt and dark tie.

They waited patiently as Sara finished her hair. When she stepped out of the adjoining cabin, they were all impressed with what a vision she was. Her hair swept up, her make up done (which she seldom wore to work), and a beautiful flowing purple dress, with strappy shoulders and a deep v neck and open back hugging all the right curves of her body. Her black heels were sexy on her long legs.

"Wow, Sar," Nick commented, "You look great!"

"Sara," Greg said, "you look, well, wow, is all I can say Sara!"

Grissom just smiled. He knew she'd be coming home with him.

She complimented each of them on their appearance, giving each man a kiss on the cheek and suggested that they head out.

After dinner, Greg left them to take in Jen's last show of the evening and promised to meet them at the dance club if Jen felt up to it.

Nick and Grissom took turns dancing with Sara until finally Sara begged off, saying that her feet were killing her and she needed to get a good night's sleep before class tomorrow.

They walked towards the cabins and said goodnight. Sara didn't even bother trying use the pretense of going into her own cabin, Nick knew, Nick was on their side, and Nick was as trustworthy as anyone she had ever known.

Grissom opened the cabin door and escorted her in. He was already aroused just be being near her looking the way she did, smelling like vanilla. She was leaned over near the chair, taking off her shoes when he determined that he could take it no longer, came up behind her, lifted her off her feet, and swept her to the bed.

He gently laid her down on the bed and placed himself over her, one knee on either side of her hip.

"You, dear, are intoxicating," he whispered in her ear. He began to kiss her neck, excrutiatingly slowly, moving towards her cheekbone and up to her lips.

She grabbed his jacket and pushed it off, untying his tie and beginning to unbutton his shirt.

He stopped her.

"Take off that dress," he instructed.

She stood up and turned her back to him, indicating that he should undo the zipper.

He sat up and slowly unzipped the dress, letting it fall around her waist. He spun her around to look directly at her half naked frame.

Slowly, just began to move the dress down her waist and past her legs until it fell to the ground.

All that remained on her was a thong, the same color as her dress, silky and very sexy.

He pulled her towards him and, using his teeth and lips, pulled the thong down, leaving her completely nude in front of him.

"One of us is a little overdressed,' she giggled as she leaned down to help him out of his dress pants.

He was huge. She admired his body. She had always imagined him to be well endowed, but, she thought to herself, this is better than any of the fantasies I ever had.

He grabbed her waist and moved her back down to the bed, but this time, she used her body to insist that she be in the drivers seat. She climbed on top of his hips, slowly impaling herself on his arousal. She rocked gently back and forth as his hands explored her breasts.

Looking at her, rocking with enjoyment, responding to his touch, with her head thrown back in pleasure, was enough to make him want to explode. But he took everything he had and held back. He used his fingers to add to her arousal and she responded with a moan that almost made him loose his cool.

Without a word said between them, they both released and collapsed into a heap on the bed.

"I love you Sara," he whispered, "with all my heart, I love you."

"I know," she said as she snuggled up and fell sound asleep in his arms. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't even worried about nightmares.

It had been an even better night.

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A/N I hope you are enjoying. I'm going to need about 5 chapters to wrap this up. Please stay with me, I think you will enjoy the ending! And yes, please leave a review! More tomorrow!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. _

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Thank you so much for all of the reviews you have sent my way. Having that little notification in my email has become an addiction. But I need some love! Please let me know you are still out there!

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The next morning they met Dr. Tanner at the conference center and began to lay out the computer and the presentation materials. Dr. Tanner had ordered breakfast for everyone, so they were able to work at a leisurely pace.

Grissom had opened his computer to find urgent messages from Catherine. She wrote him that there was bad news regarding Jerri Smoak. Apparently, her credit cards got hits in Texas and in Arizona. It seemed that she had gotten back into the continental US and was heading back to Nevada.

Grissom called Sara over and she read the email over his shoulder.

"Well, you know, you don't need a passport to fly from St. Thomas to the mainland US, so all she needed was a photo id," she continued, "and I think Nick said she was an islander, so maybe she knew how to get a fake id."

"Do you think we should let Nick know?" Grissom asked, "I'm afraid she may be going after him."

"We'll tell him on Sunday before we leave the ship, let's give him a chance to relax and enjoy before he has to get back to work and back to finding Jerri."

"Agreed," he said.

The classes went well for the first day. Nick, Greg and Sara sat through the morning lecture, They were aware of the fact that they cold always learn something from the master of forensic entomology. He came up with examples of cases where forensic entomology made the difference between solving a crime and the criminal getting away.

After lunch, they broke up into smaller groups and did labs with Sara, Greg and Nick. They talked about how to collect bug evidence and how to best protect bug evidence from being compromised.

After the labs, they went back to the lecture room and Grissom finished the day with how bugs looked when found on dead bodies. It was graphic, but both Dr. Tanner and Grissom believed it would be better for the agents to learn first hand in a confined environment than out in the field.

Fortunately, there was enough time between lunch and the lecture, so no one lost their lunch.

Grissom asked the students if they had any questions from the day. There were a couple which were quickly answered and then everyone was dismissed for the day.

The team and Dr. Tanner went to have dinner together at the buffet. Dr. Tanner talked about her observations and how she had been very pleased with the materials. She had floated from lab to lab and watched the interactions with the teams. Overall, she felt that they had accomplished what they were trying to do.

After dinner, they split up, Greg going to meet with Jen after the show, Nick went to have a beer with the agent from Texas and Grissom and Sara decided to go up on deck and take in the moonlight while making plans for what their next steps should be about Jerri.

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"I'm on my way back to you…." Played the song on the radio. The small red Ford truck was traveling from Phoenix AZ towards Las Vegas, NV. The driver, a woman with short brown hair drove within the speed limits and obeyed all traffic laws in order to draw no attention to herself.

She could not stop thinking about the face of the man in the skyway cart behind her. His vivid blue eyes, steel gray hair, and rugged features calling out for her to help him get away from the woman who was controlling his life. That raven-haired woman. She couldn't help but think that it would have been better off if she had just shot her while she had the chance.

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Down in the sports bar, Nick had been engrossed in deep conversation with Phil, his new friend from Dallas. Phil, as it turns out, was a profiler and was moving from school to the agency. He had done some consulting work while working on his Master's degree. Nick discussed how the victim's husband had been acting like a new person since his wife's sudden demise.

Phil said that he had seen this before in an older man who had been ruled by an excessively controlling wife. Although she had not been murdered, her death in a car accident definitely was a shock to the husband. He said that people were very concerned about his wellbeing, but suddenly eyebrows were raised when he came out of his shell and began to live a life that he did not live when his wife had been around.

Nick suggested that they walk down to the casino and see if they could find Dr. Grant and strike up a conversation. Phil agreed.

Of course Dr. Grant was in the casino, playing blackjack. He had clearly had a little too much to drink. However, he was up quite a bit of money, so he was happy.

"Hello Nick!" he greeted them. "Coming to play cards tonight?" he asked.

Nick noticed that Dr. Grant's speech patterns had gotten better today than the previous day. Still a little slurred, but definitely better. His confidence also appeared to be much better.

"Dr. Grant," Nick began, "This is my friend Phil from Dallas, do you mind if he joins us too sir?"

"As long as his money is green, he's more than welcome," Dr. Grant replied, "Phil, good to meet you son."

They sat down and played cards for about an hour when suddenly Dr. Grant realized that he had to go back to his cabin and get some medicine. He asked Nick and Phil if they wanted to join him for a drink at the private lounge. Of course they accepted.

The rolled Dr. Grant up through the lobby and into the elevator. They got to the cabin and sat down in the living room area of the suite. Dr. Grant showed them where the bar was and they made themselves a drink. They opened the balcony door and walked out to the huge private balcony attached to the suite.

Phil looked at the balcony that was in front of the bedroom.

"Nick," he said quietly, "Is that the balcony that the woman went off of?"

"Yes, the one in front of the bedroom."

"Did he say he didn't see anything?" Phil asked.

"Yes, he said he was asleep," Nick replied.

"I don't believe that," Phil speculated, "How could he not have seen when there is a direct view from the bed to the balcony and unless she climbed from one balcony to another, she would have had to have walked by the bed."

"Well, he could have been asleep," Nick explained.

"True, but try to open that door again, Nick," Phil instructed.

Nick went back to the door and opened it. He heard a slight beep-beep noise and a light flashed in several places.

"It's a handicapped equipped suite," he explained, "Its possible that he didn't see or hear anything, but I don't find it likely."

"Boys, let's drink some Jack Daniels," Dr. Grant said.

Nick and Phil looked at each other, this was going to be a very interesting evening.

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A/N Is that the previously blonde Jerri in the truck? What did Dr. Grant see? We'll see!

Reviews are down – but I'll make you a deal, if I get 6 reviews on this chapter, I will include some more smut in the next chapter. And if I get 10, I'll write also write Greg smut. 20 will be GSR, Greg/Jen and Nick with someone I'll create for him - smut. LOL Consider this a challenge!

More tomorrow!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery._

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Just to let you know, I will not be able to update tomorrow but will attempt two chapters on Sunday. Enjoy! I will pay my smut debt at that time. Remember, your reviews will help determine who gets some loving and who doesn't!

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Nick and Phil stayed with Dr. Grant for another hour. Nick let Phil do much of the talking and Phil tried his best to get more information out of Dr. Grant regarding Janice's death. But Dr. Grant stayed with his story. He had taken some oxycodone before bed, had laid down and fell asleep while Janice was having her once daily cigarette on the balcony.

As they left the suites, Phil said, "Nick, I think he knows more than he's letting on, but I don't think you are going to crack that nut without truth serum."

"Do you think he participated?" Nick asked.

"No, but I don't believe he slept through it either, but that's just me and skeptic Texan self." Phil replied.

"Man, I agree with you," Nick replied, "I guess we will just have to let it go for now. But I will make note of this in our files in case we need to refer back to it later."

They parted at the elevator and Nick headed back to his cabin. No Greg. Good, he was tired anyhow and hoping that Greg was getting more action than he was. And making better choices too! Good for Greggo.

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Grissom had gone to the shower, alone this time, and had come back out wrapped in a small white ship's towel.

"You are entirely too sexy, Gilbert, you do realize that don't you?" Sara said.

"Argh, don't do that!" he laughed.

"What?" she asked.

"Call me Gilbert and sexy in the same breath…my mother is the only other person who calls me that and, well, you can see how that might be a real turn off!"

They chuckled together.

"OK Gil," she changed her tactic, "Let me get a shower and I'll put all of those thoughts out of your mind!"

"That's a deal." He said as he got comfortable sitting on the small sofa watching the newschannel on the shipboard tv.

When Sara came out, her hair was in ringlet curls on her face. With the white towel wrapped around her body, she looked almost angelic. He took a deep breath as he surveyed her body. He took her hands and brought her to his lap. Her towel dropped and she quickly tried to pick it up, but he brushed it away. She sat, straddled, on his lap and began to kiss him with all the passion that she could imagine. She loved the feel of his beard on her face and the smell of his cologne.

She reached down to remove his towel and found that it had already been cast aside.

"Let's take this to the bed," he suggested.

"Gil," she replied, "Have you ever had couch sex before?"

"No, but I'm guessing you have?" he said.

"Yes, and you are about to!' was her only reply.

She slowly brought herself down on him and, using her knees to balance, moved herself up and down in a excruciatingly slow rhythm that made him crazy in an instant. He marveled at her body as he watched her controlling their lovemaking. He had never been with a woman who wanted her share of the control in the bedroom, but he was ok with it. Truth be told, it was a real turn on for him. He was accustomed to always being in control, and her ability to let him release the power to her, was intoxicating.

When they had both come to a release, they moved to the bed and curled up n each others arms.

"Thank you," he whispered as she was drifting off to sleep.

"For what?" she answered.

"For so may things. For waiting for me to get my head straight, for coming to Vegas when I needed you, for being my friend, for helping me to see that I don't always have to be the boss, do you need more?"

"Not tonight," she answered through her yawn, "but you can tell me more tomorrow sexy."

As they fell off to sleep, he whispered into her ear, "I love you Sara Sidle, and you can't marry me soon enough!"

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The next day's lectures went according to schedule and the students were released at 3pm so they could finish their last day on the cruise with a little spare time.

Grissom was very proud of his team, but was especially proud of Greg who demonstrated the time line progression exactly as he had been taught to do.

Hearing Grissom commend him for his work made Greg very happy and excited. He loved Grissom's mentorship deeply, and he desired Grissom's approval in the same way a young man looks for his father's approval. Although Greg had been blessed with a wonderful family, he appreciated Grissom because he never treated him like a child, and set high expectations for Greg, holding him accountable for his errors. Although Grissom was not stingy with his praise, but only offered it when it was truly earned. That made it more valuable when it was given.

Grissom returned to his cabin while Greg, Sara and Nick packed up the materials from the lessons. Greg was on a natural high from his interaction with his boss. Nick and Sara smiled knowingly at each other.

Back in the cabin, Grissom checked on the email he had sent to Catherine earlier asking for an update on the Smoak case. Catherine said they were still tracking her credit card purchased and that she appeared to be heading to Nevada. He asked Catherine to have Brass put a UC officer on Nick's house just in case. She agreed that would be a good idea.

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Sara returned to the cabin, ready to shower and go for a swim. She invited Greg and Nick, but they declined, having other plans for the afternoon. They did agree to meet for dinner at 6 pm.

Sara and Grissom went for a swim, but it didn't last long as the bikini brought other things "up."

Coming back to the cabin was the only possible resolution to the up and coming problem. When they had resolved the issue, they lay in each other's arms and started to discuss what their next steps would be.

"I'm going to have to leave graveyard," Sara said sadly.

"Why dear?" Grissom asked.

"Ecklie will have us both fired if he finds out what our new hobby is!"

"You are NOT a hobby," he answered, "And Conrad Ecklie can take a long walk off a short pier if he has any problems with our relationship."

"Why is that?" Sara asked.

"Because I know for a fact that Conrad has been seeing someone in the lab now and has done so previously. I will make sure that if he says anything to the Sheriff about our relationship, I promise you, he will regret it."

He looked at her, entranced by the smile that graced her face.

"Now, where were we?" he asked as he lifted her face with his hands and kissed her soundly.

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A/N I hate Ecklie! LOL


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery._

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A/N Back to life, back to reality! But they have one more night together. Here is your smut… as promised!

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As the evening went by, a wonderful dinner in the formal dining room was enjoyed by all. The captain took a moment to come by and thank them for all they had done.

They went back to the cabins and packed their gear. Usually the suitcases would be left outside the door for a porter, but since their equipment was being taken directly to the airport, their suitcases were also being taken. Each person kept an overnight bag with them for their necessities. They decided to spend the last evening at the ship's stores looking for souvenirs and strolling the deck, enjoying the moonlight.

Greg left at about 9 pm to go meet Jen for their last night together.

"Do you think you might ever come to Vegas?" he asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I had hoped to get a job at one of the big hotels as a dancer. So I'll keep looking. But you can skype me for now, and we can meet in a month or so somewhere between us!" she replied, taking him by the hand and leading him to her cabin.

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Sara Grissom and Nick sat drinking a latte at the coffee bar. Grissom had decided that now would be a good time to bring him up to speed on what was happening.

"You know that Jerri was not caught on the island right?" Griss asked

"I didn't think she would be," Nick replied.

"Well they tracked her credit cards back to TX and AZ, heading towards Vegas by the looks of it," Sara informed him.

"Great," was Nick's only reply.

"Brass is on it. She'll be caught as soon as she gets into town," Grissom said, sounding like he believed it.

Nick looked at the pair seriously, "I'm not really worried for me, I'm kinda worried for you. Did you see the look she gave you before she left the car?"

"No," Grissom and Sara both replied in unison.

"She looked at you like she was a lost puppy and you were her master." Nick had a way of turning a colorful phrase.

"No, I didn't see that. All I saw was her looking at you, Nick, that's why I am worried," Grissom confided in his young friend.

"We'll get her if she shows up in Vegas," Nick said, "No worries here."

After a moment, Grissom added, "OK, but Brass is posting a UC on your door, just in case."

At that moment, Phil walked by and asked if Nick wanted to go play a little more black jack before they turned in. Nick, while not a huge gambler, decided to go so that Sara and Grissom could have some private time.

"That went well," Grissom frowned and rubbed his forehead.

"He's in denial. You know how he is," Sara added, "He'll come around."

Then, almost out of nowhere, Grissom looked Sara squarely in the eye and said, "So, how do you want to handle the move?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"When? How?" he replied.

"I haven't thought about it," she answered.

"Immediately? With movers?" he suggested.

"Movers? Why movers? We have lots of friends!" she commented.

He thought for a second and then said, "Do you think its wise that we let everyone know that we have moved in together?"

"Well, maybe not," she hesitated.

"I love you Sara and I would shout it from the rooftop. But its no one's business but ours and I don't want to share it right now. Its still so new." She smiled at him.

"Greg and Nick know," she reminded him.

"Let's talk to them and let them know what we want to do. I'm sure they will support us."

"I know they will," she replied.

They kissed. It was a powerful, soul-moving kiss.

"So, as soon as we get back to Vegas, you will move in?" he confirmed.

"Yes, Gil, I will. I promise." Was her answer, "But I may not be easy to live with. I'm used to being on my own."

"Me too," he confided. "But I want to change - build a life around us - I'm ready to move forward and put us ahead of me."

She was almost moved to tears by his statement. "I love you," she whispered.

"I have always loved you. I just couldn't admit it."

"You were scared," she said quietly.

"I've lived a life alone, Sara. From the time my father died, and when my mother lost her hearing, my life has been lonely. I haven't been ready to share with anyone because I never learned how to. I never knew what I missed. But you make me want to change. You make me want more."

She smiled her bright Sara smile and kissed him again.

"So here's the other thing I was thinking about…" he began.

"Scary," she laughed, "Seems you've been doing a lot of thinking!"

"I think I'd like to sell the townhouse and buy us a real home with a pool so I can continue to see you in that bikini." Now he was the one laughing.

"You say that now, but just imagine if I got pregnant!"

"You were thinking about getting pregnant?" He looked a little shocked.

"Well I wouldn't rule it out. Is that a problem for you? I just assumed that you would want kids at some point."

"I never really thought about it." He answered. "But with you, yes."

"Good. You had a me a little worried," she admitted.

He hesitated for a moment, "But don't you think I'm a little to old to be playing daddy?"

"No, Gil, you are perfect. Patience comes with age."

"Are you saying I'm old?" he acted like she had insulted him.

"Funny."

"But what about a house? I think that would be exactly what we need to start our new lives together," he insisted on following this conversation.

"I agree, but the real estate market isn't great right now and I think the townhouse has plenty of room for both of us," she thought out loud.

"Let's look and see what's available ok? We'll make a decision from there," Grissom suggested.

"I'm good with that. But Grissom, there's something you should know," she added.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I have a house."

"You do?" he asked, surprised that he didn't know this already. "Then why do you live in an apartment?"

"My house is in California," she answered. "But my home will be wherever you are!"

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Upon entering the cabin, both Gil and Sara headed for the shower. It had been a long day and they were ready for some quiet time.

They helped each other get undressed and headed for the shower. The small room quickly became warm from the steam of the hot water.

As they slowly undressed each other, they felt the electricity running through their bodies. They had waited so long for this relationship that each time they came together it was just like the first time all over again. The heat. The romance. The passion. It was undeniable.

The shower stall was small, but they didn't need much room. Using the massage setting on the shower nozzle, Gil used the pressure of the water to help release the day's tension from her shoulders. He then moved it down to a much more sensitive area. The pressure of the spray made her squirm. He got his hands full of body wash and began to massage her, alternating between the spray and his hands, she was quickly on the verge of release.

"God Gil, please don't stop!" she cried out.

He used his body to hold her up against the shower stall wall and finished the job, almost loosing his control on the way. Her release was so complete that she almost lost the ability to stand.

He lifted her limp body back to the bed and, while still standing, quickly entered her. She was enticingly warm and wet. He looked deeply into her eyes and began to rock himself back and forth, causing her to shiver with excitement from the contact. She felt her desire starting to build again quickly.

"Gil," she moaned, "I'm going to go again. Please don't stop!"

He moved her up further onto the bed, trying his best not to break their contact. He used his lips and tongue to caress her breast and suck her neck. She writhed under him, trying to slow his movements, making him want release even more.

He pinned her down, using his muscular arms to prevent her from moving away. He looked in her eyes and between heavy breaths, told her "Sara, I love you more than life."

At that moment, they were both totally engulfed with orgasm. They ended up side by side, wrapped around each other, on the bed.

"I love you too Gil," she said, "But now I think I need another shower!

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A/N Hope you enjoyed their last night on the ship! I wonder what Greg is doing? If you are enjoying the story and have never sent a review before, how about making this a first and letting me know that you are out there! I love hearing from you!

I'm a little behind on my response, but I'm getting to them! I love talking to you! Please be patient with me! School and work are taxing, but this is my pleasure!


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery._

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As promised, your second chapter for today. I got to see the shuttle launch on Thursday (AWESOME) but lost a day of writing. This gets us all caught up!

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The morning of departure, the team met in the lobby with their overnight bags, and was quickly escorted through customs and into their waiting limo.

Grissom took the time in the car to speak to Greg and Nick about their plans.

"First of all, I want to thank you for being more than just employees, but good friend," he began, "and people that we know we can trust." As he said we, he took Sara's hand.

Greg and Nick both grinned from ear to ear.

"See, I told you so!" said Greg directly to Nick.

"We want to take this slowly and allow this relationship to develop before everyone in the lab decides its ok to make us a topic of conversation." Grissom looked very serious and alternated looking Nick and Greg squarely in the eyes, "We would like you to keep this under your hat."

Without a moment's hesitation, both Nick and Greg agreed to keep their secret. They both wanted Sara and Griss to be happy, so if it meant keeping a secret for a while, they would be willing, and able, to do it.

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Dr. John Grant was wheeled, by a porter, to the curbside where he could wait for his limo. He was deposited next to his and Janice's luggage. Within moments, his driver pulled up and came out to collect his luggage.

"Dr. Grant," the driver asked, "Are all of these bags yours?" he pointed to the 2 black and 3 pink bags at the curb.

"Just the black ones," was all he replied.

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The flight back to Vegas was smooth and uneventful. There were happy conversations about the trip and the day spent in St. Thomas. All in all though, everyone was ready to get back to work.

"What are you going to do about the ring?" asked Greg.

"I guess I will not wear it at the lab until we decide to go public," Sara said. "It's probably better to not wear that type of jewelry in our line of work anyhow!" she admitted.

Grissom looked at the guys and sighed, "I do want you to know that I will let the Sheriff know about what is happening and ask that Sara's evaluations be done by Catherine."

"I'm sure Ecklie will find out soon enough, But his hands will be tied by that time, and he will have to deal with it." Grissom continued.

"We aren't going to ask you to keep this quiet for a long time, just long enough for us to get settled in and sure that we are on a solid footing before we bring anyone else in the loop," Grissom concluded.

"You are going to have a problem," Nick said.

"What's that?" replied Sara.

"She's about 5 foot 7, red headed and nosy," replied Nick.

"True," admitted Sara, "But we'll loop her in soon and she'll be fine."

They agreed on the plan of action.

Landing in Vegas, Sara slipped the ring off her finger and into her pocket.

"Just for a little while," Grissom whispered to her, "Just until we get settled in."

"I know," she replied, "It will be worth it."

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Two weeks had gone by and there was no sign of Jerri. That didn't mean they had forgotten about her, but other business, including several murders and a suicide, took priority.

After a particularly hard day in the field, Sara came back to find Ecklie in Grissom's office. That was troublesome, but she walked by, knowing he would fill her in later. As it turned out, Ecklie was just passing on commendations from Dr. Tanner for the excellent work the team had done. Ecklie liked it when his lab got that kind of recognition and was telling Grissom that they would be spotlighted in the monthly newsletter.

The movers had taken everything from Sara's apartment and moved it to Grissom's townhouse. Grissom paid her 3 months rent remaining to break the lease. Sara protested, once again insisting that she didn't need anyone to take care of her, but he pointed out that this was purely selfish gesture to get her into his home.

They talked more about buying a house in Vegas, and had agreed that it would be a great idea.

They had fallen into a comfortable routine, each driving their own vehicle to and from work, but coming home to the same house and sharing their lives. There remained no doubt that this was how life was meant to be.

They discussed Sara's house in California. She had received the home from her parent's estate after her mother had died. Since her brother, David, was nowhere to be found at the time, she kept the house and rented it to pay for its expenses and upkeep. It turned out to be profitable, so she banked any earned money and set up an account so that if David ever showed up, he would eligible for half of the money. It had been years since she had heard from him, she even speculated to Grissom that his drug habit might have done him in, but she had never been notified, so she didn't know.

The decision was made to keep the house for now, and to further investigate David's whereabouts once they were married.

On the 15th day of living with Grissom, while cleaning on her day off, Sara found her desk set and started to set up her desk in Grissom's sizable home office. She pulled out the calendar, penholder and framed picture of the team, her family, and put them on her dark wooden desk. She looked at the calendar and noticed a date circled in bright red. Her heart sank.

The calendar page had not been turned since last month and the date circled was well over 4 weeks ago. It said "Depo" in big red letters.

"Shit," she yelled. "Shit, shit, shit."

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Jerri Smoak, now sporting a very short, dark hair, had been working hard to figure out where everyone lived. She sat in Nick's driveway watching him come and go for two days. She wanted to talk to him, to love him again, but she realized that he was a cop and he knew what she had done.

Why? Why couldn't she control those impulses? They had ruined her life, her father's life, Dr Grant's life. It was like she was in someone else's body when these things happened, but she could remember vividly the details. She just couldn't figure out what was happening to her. After all, the Doctors at the prison hospital said she was cured. She shrugged it off, and dismissed the memories as nightmares and went back to her daily rental room to google Dr. Gilbert Grissom.

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A/N Man, Dr. Grant, that was just COLD!

I have about three full chapters left to wrap this up. Man, 36000 words and not done yet. This is my longest effort so far. Can you share a few words with me? Come on, leave me a review! You know you want to!

More tomorrow!


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery._

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OK I said two chapters, I think it may be three left. We'll see.

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OK Sara, she said to herself, you got to face up to it! Either your pregnant or your not. Its just that simple. If you aren't you can get your shot and go on with life. If you are, well, that's another thing all together.

She took a deep breath and called her GYN and made an appointment. Luckily, the had a cancellation that afternoon so they were able to squeeze her in.

Waiting in the office was tough. Sara took out her phone and started playing Angry Birds. She laughed as she destroyed their structures. Oh my God, she thought, what am I thinking? Killing those little green blobs? Don't they have families too?

"Sara Sidle," called the nurse.

Sara stood up, holstered her phone, and followed the nurse into the exam room.

When Dr. Griffin arrived, he asked how she was doing and what he could help her with.

"I'm a little late for my depo shot," she explained.

"Oh, no problem Miss Sidle, we'll just do a pregnancy screening and get you all set up," he replied with a confident smile on his face.

"OK," she replied, not figuring that there was any point in going on any further about her concerns. Either your pregnant or your not, she said to herself as she peed into the cup.

About 5 minutes later, Dr. Griffin returned to the room. He smiled at Sara and said, "Well, I think we may need to do an exam on you, because I believe you are pregnant."

Sara felt the blood rush to her feet.

She hopped up on the exam table and assumed the position.

Dr. Griffin quickly confirmed that Sara was just about three weeks pregnant, still very early, and probably still symptom free at this point.

He congratulated her and provided her with some materials on first pregnancies. He seemed to be a little surprised at her reaction.

"Do you need some counseling on this Sara?" he asked.

"No, I'm shocked but fine, it will be fine," she said, trying to convince herself.

She left the Dr's office, books and papers in hand with an appointment for herself and the baby's father in 6 weeks time.

She called Grissom on the way home, but his phone went to voice mail. She left him a message. "I um wanted to uh talk to you for a minute, so give me a call ok?"

She drove home in a fog, pulling in to the parking spot and getting out of the car. She felt a little dizzy, so she left the books in the passenger seat, making a mental note to come out and get them later.

She did not see the red pick up truck in the parking lot.

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Jerri had appeared at the door of the townhouse about an hour before. She turned the handle of the door and was shocked to find it was unlocked. She entered the living room and looked around. She saw that it was a masculine room, but had some touches that definitely were feminine.

_Just like that bitch, trying to take over his life_, she thought to herself. _I'm going to have to do something about this! _

But in her own head, she heard another voice. _They are happy, leave them alone. He loves her._

_No he doesn't. She's using him. He's older and wealthy and she's going to take advantage of him_.

She sat down in the armchair, trying to clear her head.

She didn't know how long she had been there when the door began to open.

Jerri reached in her pocket for a weapon that she didn't have. She wasn't planning on confronting Sara this soon. But now her hand was being forced.

She grabbed the lamp that was sitting on the table by the chair and stood behind the door.

As Sara crossed the threshold, her cell phone rang and she picked it up to check the caller id. As she looked down, she felt a rush of pain run through her head and then she blacked out.

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"This is the voice mail of Sara Sidle with the LVPD, Crime Lab. I can't take your call right now, so please leave your name and number and I will get back with you as soon as possible."

Grissom looked down at the phone, disappointed that he had not only missed Sara's call but had not been able to get back to her. It was unusual for her to not answer his calls on her off days, but she must have been occupied.

He was excited because he had seen what he thought might have been the perfect home for them. He had called the realtor and set up an appointment for the weekend. That was only after confirming that the house had a pool.

He'd tell her when he got home in an hour or so.

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Catherine's phone was ringing as Grissom walked in. She waved at Grissom and answered the phone.

"Willows," she answered. "Yes Jim, what's up?"

There was a pause, her face went white, and she called Grissom to come back.

"She's what?" Catherine asked.

She nodded and made some acknowledging noises.

"And what is she doing there?" she asked Jim.

She nodded and then turned to Gil and gave him a Catherine Willows stare. He knew he was in trouble.

"We'll be right there."

"They found Geraldine Smoak's truck," Catherine told Grissom.

"Great, but why the look?" Grissom asked.

"She's at your house."

"Yes, I know Catherine, I was going to tell you eventually but we…." He stopped dead. "Who's at my house?"

"Geraldine Smoak," she replied, "Who were you talking about?"

"Sara," he replied.

They both looked at each other as the panic hit.

"What the hell is Sara doing at your house?" Catherine demanded.

"Its our house now, and I'll tell you on the way there!" he yelled as they ran out the door and jumped into the Denali, hit the sirens and flew towards the townhouse.

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A/N Now you have to admit, I haven't been really evil with cliffhangers for most of this story, but let's go for a BIG finish on this one!

More tomorrow!


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery._

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Thank you all so much for the great feedback! Each time I write, I think you guys help me get a little bit better by letting me know how I'm doing. Thank you! It really does mean a lot!

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The tension in the Denali could be cut with a knife. Grissom was single-mindedly trying to get to the townhouse as quickly as possible, just as much as Catherine was single-mindedly trying to figure out why Sara was at Grissom's home and how it could be "their" home without her knowing about it.

"Why is Sara living at your house?" Catherine asked.

"I got my head out of the microscope," Grissom replied.

"Gil," she said, very seriously, "I'm way more than happy if you two have finally resolved your issues and got together, I just would have thought you would tell me if something like that happened."

"I'm sorry Catherine," Grissom replied, equally seriously, "But we just weren't ready to tell everyone yet."

"Everyone, that I get," she shook her head, "but me? Gil we've been friends for a long time. I'm sad to think you don't trust me."

"Don't read more into it than there is Catherine," he replied, "It's a private matter, and we would have told you soon, We just didn't want to put anyone else in a position where they felt that they had to protect us."

"Anyone else?" she asked, fired up for sure this time, "Who knows?"

"Catherine, I'll give you all the details later, but we are here," he said as he pulled up to the townhouse.

The parking area was covered with police cars. Brass stood near the entrance to the unit, flanked by Nick and Greg. Nick was trying to convince Brass to let him handle the negotiations.

"Jim, its ok," Gil said, "He knows Jerri. Maybe he can help."

Jim updated Gil and Catherine on what was happening.

When LVPD pulled the records from a gas station that Jerri's credit card had been used at, they were able to match the film and the time of the purchase to get the tags on Jerri's truck. A routine tag check made just as Jerri was turning into the neighborhood was the lucky break.

But Sara had come home in the meantime and before the officer could figure out what was going on, Sara entered the townhouse and hadn't been heard from since.

"Now what?" Grissom asked.

"Now we wait and see if we can find out what she wants," Brass replied, picking up his bullhorn and yelling out to Jerri to pick up the phone.

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Inside the townhouse, Sara woke to find she was duct-taped to a kitchen chair, sitting face to face with Jerri Smoak. Her head was thudding from the blow she had taken, but she didn't feel any blood dripping, so that was good.

Jerri began pacing when she heard her name on the bullhorn.

"Jerri," Sara said, "That's Jim Brass, he's a good man, please talk to him!'

"Shut up!" Jerri yelled at Sara, "I can't think while you are talking."

Sara sat quietly and watched as Jerri paced up and down, trying to decide what to do next. Sara tried to fight the tears but was loosing the battle.

She kept thinking over her life and how things constantly ran in cycles. Didn't it just figure? I get to the point where I am happy for the first time in so long and bang, something shitty happens to pull the rug out from under me. Why do I even try?

Jerri looked at Sara. Sara felt a sudden change.

"Don't cry, I don't want to hurt you. I just need you to be quiet so I can think ok?" Jerri asked Sara.

Sara thought back to whether or not she had ever known a true schizophrenic before. She could not think of anyone that she could compare to Jerri. Sure there were some movies about schizophrenics, but that wasn't real. She'd have to improvise.

The phone rang again, this time Jerri picked it up and said "Hello?"

It was Nick.

"Oh, hi Nick" she said, calmly, "Yes I have missed you too."

Sara could barely make out what Nick was saying, but it sounded like Nick was asking her to let Sara out and let him stand in her place.

"No, Nick, I can't do that," she replied, "I have to protect your friend Grissom." The change had happened again. This voice was neither polite nor friendly.

"Well, she's trying to use him, just like my stepmother, just like Janice, she's doing the same thing trying to get his money so his kids can't have it," she

"Ok Jerri honey…" Nick began.

"This is Geraldine," she clarified, "Jerri is not here right now."

"OK Geraldine, I can understand why you are upset. Remember we talked about how your dad didn't leave you any money for school and how you were appealing the will?" Nick pressed on hoping he could reach Jerri.

"Grissom and Sara are in love Geraldine, she's not using him, she has her own money, she doesn't need him for money. And he doesn't have any kids," Nick said, trying to draw a rational picture for her.

"Then why did his eyes ask me for help while we were on the skyway?" she asked.

Nick was stumped.

"Tell her that he was just worried about her, thinking she was going to jump," instructed Brass.

"Honey, he thought you were going to jump, he was worried for you ," Nick explained.

"No, he wanted to get away from her, he needed his freedom," she answered.

"No honey, he loves her, I promise," Nick said, looking straight at Grissom.

As the conversation went on, Catherine came up behind the men where they were standing.

"Gil," she asked, "Was there something else that you needed to tell me?"

"Catherine, please not right now, I promise I will explain later," Grissom said, trying to focus all his attention on getting Sara out of the townhouse.

"No Gil," she continued, "Seriously, I found these in Sara's car."

She handed the book and pamphlets on pregnancy over to Grissom.

"Oh my God," he replied, "That's what she wanted to tell me." He seemed shocked, but not in a bad way. Grissom looked at Brass and whispered "Is she armed?" Jim told him that they didn't think she was armed but were not sure.

Grissom walked over to where Nick was talking on the phone and took the phone from Nick's hand.

"Jerri, this is Grissom, I'm coming in. You are in my home and I want to thank you personally for trying to help me. Please don't panic, I'm unarmed."

He handed the phone back to Nick and strode purposefully towards the townhouse.

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a/n yes it is a short one today. It's my birthday and I have big plans. Hope to finish this off tomorrow so if you haven't reviewed, now would be a good time!


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

_Author's note: I don't own CSI but I do love to play with them! It's the sincerest form of flattery. And for the record, I don't own the song "So Caught Up in You" recorded by the awesome band 38 special. But it's the perfect song for Grissom and Sara._

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And so we come to the end. Please indulge me one moment before finishing the tale.

I want to thank each of you who have read and have reviewed this story. Some of you have been with this from the start, some joined recently, and some will read only as a completed work. No matter which you are, you have really made me feel like a member of this community, and for that I am grateful. For those who have sent constructive feedback, my thanks go to you, as each comment helps me in trying to get better at this hobby that I have grown to love.

For those who have added me as a favorite, I am truly touched. This is not a profitable hobby, but these reviews and adds are better than any money. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your recognition. :o)

And special thanks go to my friend Jeanette who challenged me to take Jerri on to the next part of the story. I hope this story made you happy!

And now…. The conclusion:

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Meanwhile:

Sara had been sitting at the dinette table. This steel and glass table with four steel and white padded chairs was one of the few furniture items that had come over from her apartment. How ironic, she thought, that I'm going to die here on my dinette. It was the first "grown up" piece of furniture she had bought when she moved to Vegas. She loved it and felt it was part of her history.

Strange, she never really got attached to things. Growing up as a foster child, she had to learn how to build memories without things to hold on to.

One problem with the dinette was that the wrought iron flowers on the back of the chair had come loose. It was something she had meant to get fixed, but hadn't gotten around to it.

Sitting there, duct taped with her hands behind her back, feeling like all hope had gone, it suddenly dawned on her that she was truly pregnant with child of the only man she had ever loved. Her heart swelled and she gathered her wits, wiggling her body to sit higher up in the chair, and began to rub the duct tape bonds against the frayed edge of the wrought iron chair.

She was surprised how quickly she was able to notch the tape bonds.

She tried to keep her movements small to keep from drawing Jerri's attention. She had cut the bonds about half-way when she heard Grissom's voice bellow through the phone that he was on his way in.

He was stopped at the door by the metal chain lock that prevented the door from opening fully. He stuck his head as far in as he could to assess the situation. Sara thought he looked a bit like Jack Nicholson in the shining when he stuck his head through the hole in the door.

"Don't try to come in here," Jerri yelled, "I WILL kill her."

"Jerri," Grissom said calmly, "Nick has told us what a good person you are and how he is sure you didn't intentionally hurt anyone."

"He doesn't know."

"He does know, he is an excellent judge of character and I know he would not be involved with someone who he thought was evil or mean," Grissom explained.

As they were talking through the crack in the door, Sara got closer to releasing the bonds that held her arms.

"Jerri, I don't know what happened with Janice Grant, or with your father, but I can tell you, harming Sara will not help your case!"

"Sara is bad," Jerri replied, "She's trying to trap you into marriage. I could see it in your eyes, how you needed me to help free you."

"Sara is someone I have loved for over 5 years, Jerri. She would never try to trap me," he explained.

"You are a Doctor and she is going to take advantage of you," Grissom could see Jerri quickly becoming Geraldine. He needed to do something before she became unreachable.

"Jerri, Sara is pregnant, with my child, I can't let you hurt either one of them."

Geraldine had arrived with this statement.

"She is trying to trap you!" Geraldine screamed, turning back towards Sara, eyes full of hatred and spitting as she spoke.

But she was unable to complete her pivot. As she began to turn, a large bottle of red wine made a direct connection with her head, knocking her out cold on the floor.

Sara ran to the door and opened the chain lock. Grissom held her, stroking her hair and kissing her with all his might.

"Sh, Sara, it's over," he said trying to calm her down. But even with his strong arms around her, she felt her knees collapse under her as the room went black.

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She woke up at Desert Palms with Grissom sitting by her bedside, holding her hand. He looked exhausted, like he had not slept or showered for days.

Sara looked around her and noticed that she had been hooked up to a fetal monitor. Her heart sank.

"Oh God, please Gil, tell me that the baby is ok?" she begged.

"Yes, honey, she is fine," he answered, smiling.

"Oh thank God…. She?" Sara asked. "Its too early to tell the sex of the baby."

"I know, but I can't call the baby IT, so I'm calling the baby "her" until we know for sure," he stroked her hair as he continued, "Because it would make me the happiest man in the world to have a daughter who is just like you."

"Who are you and what have you done with Gilbert Grissom?" she asked, smiling.

His heart melted. He had truly found his paradise, right here, wherever she was.

"How did you know about the baby?" she asked. "I hadn't told you yet! You didn't answer your phone when I called you."

"Catherine told me."

She looked puzzled. "I didn't tell Catherine."

"She found the book and pamphlets in the passenger seat of your car."

"She knows?" Sara asked. "Is she ok with everything? Is she mad at us?"

"No, she's fine," he answered, "She's a little miffed at me, but she'll forgive me."

"And you?" she asked, "Are you ok with it? Its quite a shock."

"Yes, it was a shock," he admitted, "But in a good way, like winning the lottery."

"I missed a birth control shot. I never miss them. But I did and I didn't know what was going to happen and that I'd be having sex and that I would …."

He leaned over and kissed her lips, "Your over talking again dear."

She smiled. "As long as you are as happy as I am…"

"I've never been happier before in my life Sara. You have completed the puzzle. I know what I was missing now. You."

They sat quietly, watching the fetal heart monitor, loving their child.

"Did they get Jerri?" she asked.

"Yes, dear, someone hit her pretty hard on the head so she couldn't run away."

"She's sick, Gil, I know from the time we spent together, she's sick," Sara explained. "It was like there were two people in her one body, and Jerri wasn't so bad. But when Geraldine came out, it was frightening."

"As it turns out, she was involved in her father's death, and perhaps her step mother, but that hasn't been proven yet. She will be taken care of by the Doctors first and then she will face an appropriate sentence for someone in her situation," he explained. "She won't be back to Nevada for a long time."

A knock at the door interrupted the conversation.

They were joined by Brass, Catherine, Nick and Greg. All very happy to see that Sara was awake and talking. They were also very happy to see that Grissom was by her side, holding her hand.

Grissom smiled at the group that had come to support them. It had been a long time coming, but he liked the new man he was becoming. It was hard for him to verbalize feelings, but he knew that he would learn. He had so much life ahead of him. And the best part of it was that he got to share it with Sara, their baby, and such great friends.

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_**Three months later:**_

"How does it look?" Sara asked, "I'm not used to having something so tight around the tummy."

"Its not the dress, Sara, it's the tummy," Catherine replied. "And you look beautiful."

Sara looked in the mirror and admired her 4-month pregnant tummy, draped in a stunning lace bridal gown.

"I never thought that this would be me," she admitted to Catherine, "I never thought I was "that" girl."

"I'm glad you found this side of you," Catherine said, "You and Gil are perfect for each other, you balance each other."

"I know."

"You knew all the way along, didn't you?" Catherine asked.

"Yes," she replied.

Jim Brass knocked at the door. "Are you ready Cookie?" he asked Sara.

"I've never been more ready for anything!" she replied.

"Let's do this then," Jim said, offering her his arm.

They stepped out of the vestibule, and walked down the carpeted aisle to the front of the small church, where Dr. Gilbert Grissom stood, flanked by Nick and Greg. The minute Sara and Jim appeared through the door, Gil's breath was taken away, stunned by the beauty of his bride.

Jim Brass proudly gave the bride away.

And when the minister pronounced them husband and wife, a loud roar of approval came from the crowd gathered to witness the wedding.

As the group moved to the church's reception hall, Grissom and Sara took a moment to themselves.

"You are stunning," he told her, placing his hand on her tummy, adding "both of you."

She smiled at him, that beautiful, radiant Sara smile.

"Sara, if we don't go in now, I won't be held responsible for what I do next."

They walked in to a round of applause from their guests.

The music began to play, and Grissom grabbed his wife by the waist and whisked her to the dance floor.

"Gil, I thought you couldn't dance?" she said, surprised by his actions.

"I wouldn't miss this dance for anything. My two favorite girls on the happiest day of my life," he said as he kissed her and whispered in her ear "Thanks for knowing what to do "about this.""

And they danced through their first song….

"It took so long to change my mind, I thought that love was a game  
I played around enough to find , No two are ever the same  
You made me realized the love I missed  
So hot! Love I couldn't quite resist  
When it's right the light just comes shining through.

So caught up in you, little girl, You're the one that's got me down on my knees  
So caught up in you, little girl, That I never want to get myself free  
And baby it's true, You're the one who caught me, baby you taught me  
How good it could be"

The End

_BTW, in case you were interested the baby was a girl and she was named Alayna Catherine Grissom. _

A/N Thank you all for your support! See you again soon. :o)


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